Basis Of Presentation And Business Description	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Basis Of Presentation And Business Description [Abstract]
Basis Of Presentation And Business Description	1. Basis of Presentation and Business Description The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of WWE. “WWE” refers to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. References to “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to WWE. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited. All adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations, and cash flows at the dates and for the periods presented have been included. The results of operations of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year. All intercompany balances are eliminated in consolidation. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted from these interim financial statements; these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. We are an integrated media and entertainment company, principally engaged in the production and distribution of wrestling entertainment content through various channels, including our premium over-the-top subscription network (“WWE Network”), content rights agreements, pay-per-view event programming, filmed entertainment, live events, licensing of various WWE themed products, and the sale of consumer products featuring our brands. Our operations are organized around the following principal activities: Media: The Media segment reflects the production and monetization of long-form and short-form video content across various platforms, including WWE Network, broadcast and pay television, digital and social media, as well as filmed entertainment. Across these platforms, revenues principally consist of content rights fees associated with the distribution of our programming content, subscriptions to WWE Network, and advertising and sponsorships. Live Events: Live events provide ongoing content for our media platforms. Live Event segment revenues consist primarily of ticket sales, including primary and secondary distribution, revenues from events for which we receive a fixed fee, as well as the sale of travel packages associated with the Company’s global live events. Consumer Products: The Consumer Products segment engages in the merchandising of WWE branded products, such as video games, toys and apparel, through licensing arrangements and direct-to-consumer sales. Revenues principally consist of royalties and licensee fees related to WWE branded products, and sales of merchandise distributed at our live events and through eCommerce platforms. Note on the COVID-19 Pandemic The global spread of the coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) and the various attempts to contain it have resulted in restrictions, postponements and cancellations of various sports and other events and has and likely will continue to require us to cancel, postpone or relocate certain of our live events. We do not currently expect insurance to cover a significant portion, if any, of this lost business. COVID-19 has also continued to create significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption, the full extent of which will depend on numerous evolving factors that we can neither predict nor control, including the pandemic’s duration and severity and the governmental, business and individual responses to it. As a result, we have been required to alter certain aspects of our operations beyond our live events. We have taken measures to protect the health and well-being of our employees and our talent and other vendors. Our workforce has spent a significant amount of time working from home. Travel has been severely curtailed. We have greatly increased our cleaning and health check protocols, which increase related expenditures. We also implemented certain cash conserving measures, which were or have been in effect for various time periods, including pausing our stock repurchase program and certain capital expenditures; containing employment costs through salary reductions and furloughs; containing certain third party vendor costs; and drawing under our revolving credit facility. We believe our partners’ operations have also been affected. To the extent the resulting economic disruption is severe, we could see supply constraints and/or a negative impact on our customers’ demand, or ability to pay (including an impact on the collectability of our accounts receivable), for our goods and services. We will continue actively to monitor the issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and may take further actions that alter our business operations that are required by applicable governmental authorities and/or that we determine to be in the best interests of our employees, talent, customers, partners and stockholders. There can be no assurance that we will be entirely successful in these endeavors, which could result in inadvertent noncompliance with applicable law. The COVID-19 pandemic also could result in heightened litigation risks relating to personal injury or death and/or increased levels of commercial litigation. Any of the foregoing could have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.

Basis Of Presentation And Business Description

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Basis Of Presentation And Business Description [Abstract]

Basis Of Presentation And Business Description

1. Basis of Presentation and Business Description

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of WWE. “WWE” refers to World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires. References to “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer to WWE.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited. All adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations, and cash flows at the dates and for the periods presented have been included. The results of operations of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year. All intercompany balances are eliminated in consolidation.

Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been condensed or omitted from these interim financial statements; these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

We are an integrated media and entertainment company, principally engaged in the production and distribution of wrestling entertainment content through various channels, including our premium over-the-top subscription network (“WWE Network”), content rights agreements, pay-per-view event programming, filmed entertainment, live events, licensing of various WWE themed products, and the sale of consumer products featuring our brands. Our operations are organized around the following principal activities:

Media:

The Media segment reflects the production and monetization of long-form and short-form video content across various platforms, including WWE Network, broadcast and pay television, digital and social media, as well as filmed entertainment. Across these platforms, revenues principally consist of content rights fees associated with the distribution of our programming content, subscriptions to WWE Network, and advertising and sponsorships.

Live Events:

Live events provide ongoing content for our media platforms. Live Event segment revenues consist primarily of ticket sales, including primary and secondary distribution, revenues from events for which we receive a fixed fee, as well as the sale of travel packages associated with the Company’s global live events.

Consumer Products:

The Consumer Products segment engages in the merchandising of WWE branded products, such as video games, toys and apparel, through licensing arrangements and direct-to-consumer sales. Revenues principally consist of royalties and licensee fees related to WWE branded products, and sales of merchandise distributed at our live events and through eCommerce platforms.

Note on the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global spread of the coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) and the various attempts to contain it have resulted in restrictions, postponements and cancellations of various sports and other events and has and likely will continue to require us to cancel, postpone or relocate certain of our live events. We do not currently expect insurance to cover a significant portion, if any, of this lost business. COVID-19 has also continued to create significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption, the full extent of which will depend on numerous evolving factors that we can neither predict nor control, including the pandemic’s duration and severity and the governmental, business and individual responses to it. As a result, we have been required to alter certain aspects of our operations beyond our live events. We have taken measures to protect the health and well-being of our employees and our talent and other vendors. Our workforce has spent a significant amount of time working from home. Travel has been severely curtailed. We have greatly increased our cleaning and health check protocols, which increase related expenditures. We also implemented certain cash conserving measures, which were or have been in effect for various time periods, including pausing our stock repurchase program and certain capital expenditures; containing employment costs through salary reductions and furloughs; containing certain third party vendor costs; and drawing under our revolving credit facility. We believe our partners’ operations have also been affected. To the extent the resulting

economic disruption is severe, we could see supply constraints and/or a negative impact on our customers’ demand, or ability to pay (including an impact on the collectability of our accounts receivable), for our goods and services. We will continue actively to monitor the issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and may take further actions that alter our business operations that are required by applicable governmental authorities and/or that we determine to be in the best interests of our employees, talent, customers, partners and stockholders. There can be no assurance that we will be entirely successful in these endeavors, which could result in inadvertent noncompliance with applicable law. The COVID-19 pandemic also could result in heightened litigation risks relating to personal injury or death and/or increased levels of commercial litigation. Any of the foregoing could have a material negative effect on our business and results of operations.