Earnings release
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W FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts : Investors : Michael Weitz 203-352-8642 Michael Guido , CFA 203-352-8779 Media : Matthew Altman 203-352- 1177 WWE ® Reports First Quarter 2021 Results . . First Quarter 20 2 1 Highlights * * ( All comparisons are versus the prior year period unless stated otherwise ) Revenue was $ 263.5 million , a decrease of 9 % or $ 27.5 million , reflecting the absence of the Company's ticketed live events and a large - scale international event , partially offset by the upfront revenue recognition related to the delivery of certain WWE Network intellectual property rights Operating income was $ 65.1 million , a n increase of 22 % or $ 11.8 million , as the upfront revenue recognition related to the delivery of certain WWE Network intellectual property rights was partially offset by the absence of a large - scale international event 1 Adj usted OIBDA was $ 83.9 million , a n increase of 9 % or $ 6.6 million WWE Network launched on Peacock , NBCU's streaming service , in the U.S. on March 18 , expanding the reach of WWE's premium content , including live pay - per- views , original series and in - ring shows WWE transitioned Raw and SmackDown to the Yuengling Center in Tampa Bay ( effective April 12 ) , and continued to deliver a spectacular interactive experience , WWE ThunderDome , to fans WWE announced a multi - year extension with USA Network for NXT , which moved the airing of its two - hour , live show to Tuesday nights ( effective April 13 ) Digital video views were 9.4 billion , a decrease of 2 % , and hours consumed were 367 million , an increase of 7 % , across digital and social platforms 2 Return of capital to shareholders ( share repurchases and dividends paid ) totaled $ 84.2 million in 1Q21 WrestleMania Highlights ( April 10-11 , 2021 ) * * ( All comparisons are versus the prior year period unless stated otherwise ) WrestleMania was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay , Florida over two consecutive sold - out nights in front of a combined 51,350 fans . WrestleMania was the first WWE live event with a ticketed audienc e to take place since the COVID - 19 outbreak more than one year ago