In what I truly hope is the LAST word in all of this needless chopping and changing of the WWF television scheduling here in the UK, this is what reliable websites in the UK are currently reporting:

BSkyB have signed a FIVE YEAR deal with WWFE to screen the following EIGHT PPVs live on Sky Sports:

"No Way Out" February 27, 2000
"Wrestlemania XVI" April 2, 2000
"Judgment Day", May 28, 2000
"King of the Ring" June 25, 2000
"Summerslam" August 2000
"Unforgiven" September 2000
"No Mercy" October 2000
"Survivor Series" November 2000

Meanwhile Channel 4 have confirmed that they are to screen FOUR WWF PPVs live each year (the length of the deal has not been confirmed):

"Royal Rumble" January 23, 2000
"Backlash" April 30, 2000
"Fully Loaded" July 23, 2000
"Armageddon" December 2000

Sky will also continue to screen the following weekly shows on Sky Sports 1 and 3, and Sky One:

WWF Raw:       Fridays at 10pm-varies (Sky Sports 1/3)
WWF Smackdown: Saturdays at 11am (Sky 1) AND 10pm (Sky Sports 1)
WWF Superstars:Sundays at 11am (Sky 1)
               Thursdays at 12pm (Sky Sports 3) and 5pm (Sky Sports 1)
               Fridays at 7-15am (Sky Sports 1)
WWF Livewire:  Tuesdays 12pm (Sky Sports 3)and 5pm (Sky Sports 1)
               Wednesdays 7-15am (Sky Sports 1)
WWF Metal:     Wednesdays at 12pm (Sky Sports 3) & 5pm (Sky Sports 1)
               Thursdays at 7-15am (Sky Sports 1)

Meanwhile, Channel 4 will screen (from Sunday January 9, 2000)

WWF HeAT:      Time to be confirmed

PHEW!!! CRZ, you're damn right our television's screwy. Now, assuming that this all shakes out to be legit, this is an infinitely better arrangement than we had a few days ago. Not only do we retain live PPV coverage, but FOUR of those will be on free-to-air terrestrial television, Sky save themselves from a lynching by pulling a terrific LONG-TERM package out of their asses, and we get both "Smackdown!" and "HeAT" added to the schedules thanks to both Sky and C4.

After years of lobbying for equality, FINALLY the UK gets parity with the States: we will, from now on, be able to watch EVERY SINGLE HOUR of WWF programming that comes our way. Will this 'grow' the WWF market in the United Kingdom, prompting those who follow "HeAT" and the selected PPVs on C4 to invest in satellite or cable, thereby enabling themselves to purchase Sky and the WWF's UK-only PPVs, or will we slide down the slippery path to overexposure of the WWF product? Admittedly no such signs of a backlash have been evident from fans Stateside, but with the UK now exposed to EIGHT hours of 'episodic' television a week (or ELEVEN in the week of PPVs, and FOURTEEN when there's a UK PPV: they tend to be scheduled within seven days of 'regular' PPVs)surely there is bound to be some impact.

Finally, despite their three-date tour in March, WCW will surely ditch ANY half-assed plans they had to compete in Britain with the WWF. Sure, their two premier shows (Nitro and Thunder)are screened on free-to-air satellite and cable channels, but there is no coverage of PPVs (and every time they launch PPVs on home video, they seemingly pull out immediately) and to have "WCW Worldwide" on a three-week delay on a Channel which only 70% of the country can receive (and fewer still with any quality of reception) is not "network exposure" of the product that is to boasted about.(I only get good Channel 5 reception as they also broadcast as a free-to-air satellite and cable channel: the signal on my terrestrial tv is shit!)

I would direct *some* criticism the WWF's way: rather than scare the bejesus out of its UK fanbase, I feel that the international pages on WWF.Com could have been a platform for them to be more open about their intentions, saving us all from thinking that BSkyB and themselves had screwed us in a 'Montreal stylee'...