TNA just suffered another massive hit, as their UK television partner Challenge TV will no longer be airing TNA programming after January 2017. Challenge TV, which has been the home of TNA programming in the United Kingdom since 2011, announced on Tuesday morning:
“We know that many TNA fans will be disappointed to hear this, but we wanted to let you all know that as of January 2017, Challenge will no longer be the home of TNA in the UK. TNA has been a huge and important part of Challenge’s story over the years and we will treasure some great moments like the British Bootcamp and UK tours. We have been proud to bring UK viewers coverage of TNA and have huge respect for the company and its fans. TNA is packed with great talent and we know they will continue to do great things – we wish them all the best.”
Challenge aired not only Impact Wrestling, but TNA pay-per-views and other original programming like British Bootcamp. This was TNA’s second biggest partnership after the India TV deal with Sony Six. The news does not bode well for TNA’s annual “Maximum Impact” UK tour, which they’ve run since 2008.
TNA issued a statement regarding the split and their explanation is somewhat baffling. As for why their UK fans will effectively be cut off from TNA programming in a matter of months, they said the
“We are proud to have had such a great relationship with Challenge, and appreciate how the channel brought Impact Wrestling to our avid viewers through the years. In today’s world, spoilers are inevitable. We’ve heard from the amazing fans in the UK and know you do not want to wait 3-5 days to watch the program after it airs in the US.
Our goal is to broadcast Impact Wrestling in the UK as close to the US premiere as possible. We look forward to announcing that opportunity soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, we hope you continue to watch Impact Wrestling on Challenge, Sunday nights at 9pm, as well as Xplosion and pay-per-views and follow us on social media. Thank you.”