World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) 10-Q 4 May 17 2017 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document And Entity Information

Document And Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	May 02, 2017
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENTINC
Entity Central Index Key	1,091,907
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Trading Symbol	wwe
Amendment Flag	false
Document Type	10-Q
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Common Class A [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in Shares)		38,507,281
Common Class B [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in Shares)		37,949,438

Consolidated Statements Of Oper

Consolidated Statements Of Operations - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Consolidated Statements Of Operations [Abstract]
Net revenues	$ 188,444	$ 171,100
Cost of revenues	109,153	93,334
Selling, general and administrative expenses	68,434	50,175
Depreciation and amortization	6,868	5,587
Total operating income	3,989	22,004
Interest expense	(3,526)	(593)
Investment income, net	861	610
Other income (expense), net	64	(656)
Income before income taxes	1,388	21,365
Provision for income taxes	500	7,480
Net income	$ 888	$ 13,885
Earnings per share: basic and diluted	$ 0.01	$ 0.18
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic	76,441	75,937
Diluted	78,181	77,095
Dividends declared per common share (Class A and B)	$ 0.12	$ 0.12

Consolidated Statements Of Comp

Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Abstract]
Net income	$ 888	$ 13,885
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments	45	13
Unrealized holding (losses) gains on available-for-sale securities (net of tax (benefit) expense of ($22) and $130, respectively)	(36)	213
Total other comprehensive income	9	226
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ 897	$ 14,111

Consolidated Statements Of Com4

Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Consolidated Statements Of Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Abstract]
(Losses) gains on unrealized holding gains on available-for-sale securities, tax (benefit) expense	$ (22)	$ 130

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 165,621	$ 211,976
Short-term investments, net	105,062	55,164
Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts and returns of $8,740 and $8,259, respectively)	53,345	53,155
Inventory	7,455	6,531
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	31,163	22,480
Total current assets	362,646	349,306
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET	129,877	132,631
FEATURE FILM PRODUCTION ASSETS, NET	27,878	27,137
TELEVISION PRODUCTION ASSETS, NET	10,121	12,508
INVESTMENT SECURITIES	25,096	24,957
NON-CURRENT DEFERRED INCOME TAX ASSETS	32,512	32,556
OTHER ASSETS, NET	19,876	21,808
TOTAL ASSETS	608,006	600,903
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current portion of long-term debt	7,529	6,121
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	55,556	70,360
Deferred income	68,978	56,653
Total current liabilities	132,063	133,134
LONG-TERM DEBT	34,446	35,596
CONVERTIBLE DEBT	174,224	161,008
NON-CURRENT INCOME TAX LIABILITIES	624	725
NON-CURRENT DEFERRED INCOME	26,475	30,697
Total liabilities	367,832	361,160
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Additional paid-in-capital	412,097	403,387
Accumulated other comprehensive income	2,904	2,895
Accumulated deficit	(175,591)	(167,303)
Total stockholders' equity	240,174	239,743
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY	608,006	600,903
Common Class A [Member]
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Common stock	385	385
Common Class B [Member]
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Common stock	$ 379	$ 379

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Pa

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts receivable, allowance for doubtful accounts and returns	$ 8,740	$ 8,259
Common Class A [Member]
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	180,000,000	180,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	38,499,514	38,455,266
Common stock, shares outstanding	38,499,514	38,455,266
Common Class B [Member]
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	60,000,000	60,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	37,949,438	37,949,438
Common stock, shares outstanding	37,949,438	37,949,438

Consolidated Statements Of Stoc

Consolidated Statements Of Stockholders' Equity - 3 months ended Mar. 31, 2017 - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Common Stock [Member]Common Class A [Member]	Common Stock [Member]Common Class B [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]	Accumulated Deficit [Member]	Common Class A [Member]	Common Class B [Member]	Total
Balance, Shares at Dec. 31, 2016	38,455,000	37,949,000				38,455,266	37,949,438
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 385	$ 379	$ 403,387	$ 2,895	$ (167,303)			$ 239,743
Net income					888			888
Other comprehensive income				9				9
Stock issuances net, Shares	45,000
Stock issuances, net			704					704
Debt discount on convertible debt, net (See Note 13)			2,487					2,487
Purchase of convertible note hedge (See Note 13)			(2,558)					(2,558)
Proceeds from issuance of warrants (See Note 13)			1,460					1,460
Cash dividends declared			2		(9,176)			(9,174)
Stock-based compensation			6,615					6,615
Balance, Shares at Mar. 31, 2017	38,500,000	37,949,000				38,499,514	37,949,438
Balance at Mar. 31, 2017	$ 385	$ 379	$ 412,097	$ 2,904	$ (175,591)			$ 240,174

Consolidated Statements Of Cash

Consolidated Statements Of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income	$ 888	$ 13,885
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Amortization and impairments of feature film production assets	2,731	1,106
Amortization of television production assets	5,616	8,131
Depreciation and amortization	8,534	6,736
Services provided in exchange for equity instruments	(722)	(758)
Equity in earnings of affiliate, net of dividends received	(102)	(128)
Other amortization	1,543	578
Stock-based compensation	6,615	3,160
Provision for (recovery from) doubtful accounts	243	(101)
Provision for deferred income taxes	44	1,939
Other non-cash adjustments	81	99
Cash (used in)/provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(388)	8,487
Inventory	(924)	(1,655)
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(8,860)	(8,454)
Feature film production assets	(3,472)	(3,001)
Television production assets	(3,229)	(6,963)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities	(14,386)	(17,288)
Deferred income	8,825	(4,248)
Net cash provided by operating activities	3,037	1,525
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchases of property and equipment and other assets	(4,351)	(6,677)
Purchases of short-term investments	(61,285)
Proceeds from sales and maturities of investments	11,020
Net cash used in investing activities	(54,616)	(6,677)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Repayment of long-term debt	(1,125)	(1,101)
Dividends paid	(9,174)	(9,113)
Proceeds from borrowings under credit facilities	1,383
Proceeds from borrowings on convertible notes, net of issuance costs	14,534
Proceeds from issuance of warrants	1,460
Purchase of convertible note hedge	(2,558)
Taxes paid related to net settlement upon vesting of equity awards	(17)	(32)
Proceeds from issuance of stock	721	572
Excess tax benefits from stock-based payment arrangements		8
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	5,224	(9,666)
NET DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	(46,355)	(14,818)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF PERIOD	211,976	38,019
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD	165,621	23,201
NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING TRANSACTIONS:
Non-cash purchase of property and equipment	$ 2,443	$ 979

Basis Of Presentation And Busin

Basis Of Presentation And Business Description	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Basis Of Presentation And Business Description [Abstract]
Basis Of Presentation And Business Description	1. B asis 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” a nd 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 expense s during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The accompanying consolidated finan cial 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, 2016 . Certain reclassifications have been made to the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows in the prior year to conform to the current year presentation pursuant to our adoption of a new accounting standard as of January 1, 2017 related to share-based payment award accounting simplifications. See Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies , for further details. We are an integrated media and entertainment company, principally engaged in the production and distribution of content through various channels, including our premium over-the-top WWE Network, television rights agreements, pay-per-view event programming, live events, feature films, licensing of various WWE themed products, and the sale of consumer products featuring our brands. Our operations are organized around the following four principal activities: Media Division : Network · Revenues consist principally of subscriptions to WWE Network, fees for viewing our pay-per-view programming, and advertising fees. Television · Revenues consist principally of television rights fees and advertising. Home Entertainment · Revenues consist principally of sales of WWE produced content via home entertainment platforms, including DVD, Blu-Ray, and subscription and transactional on-demand outlets. Digital Media · Revenues consist principally of advertising sales on our websites and third party websites including YouTube, and sales of various broadband and mobile content. Live Events : · Revenues consist principally of ticket sales and travel packages for live events. Consumer Products Division : Licensing · Revenues consist principally of royalties or license fees related to various WWE themed products such as video games, toys, and apparel. Venue Merchandise · Revenues consist of sales of merchandise at our live events. WWEShop · Revenues consist of sales of merchandise on our websites, including through our WWEShop Internet storefront and on distribution platforms, including Amazon . WWE Studios : · Revenues consist of amounts earned from investing in, producing, and/or distributing filmed entertainment.

Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies	2. Significant Accounting Policies There have been no significant changes to our accounting policies that were previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 , or in the methodology used in formulating these significant judgments and estimates that affect the application of these policies. Cost of Revenues Included within Costs of revenues are the following:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Amortization and impairment of feature film assets $ 2,731 $ 1,106  Amortization of television production assets 5,616 8,131  Amortization of WWE Network content delivery and technology assets 1,664 1,149  Total amortization and impairment included in cost of revenues $ 10,011 $ 10,386 Costs to produce our live event programming are expensed when the event is first broadcast, and are not included in the amortization table noted above. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2017-01, “ Business Combinations (Topic 805) Clarifying the Definition of a Business ”. The amendments in this ASU clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, which for the Company will be effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “ Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments ,” which addresses eight specific cash flow issues and is intended to reduce diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, which for the Company will be effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in the ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard and does not expect it to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.  In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, " Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. " This update simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The update contains various amendments, each requiring a specific method of adoption, and designates whether each amendment should be adopted using a retrospective, modified retrospective, or prospective transition method. The new guidance was adopted on January 1, 2017. The impact of adoption of the update is summarized below:  · All excess tax benefits and deficiencies that result from the difference between the deduction for tax purposes and the compensation cost recognized for financial reporting purposes related to our share-based payment awards will be recognized as income tax benefit or expense in the income statement instead of as an adjustment to additional paid-in capital. In addition, excess tax benefits are no longer included in the calculation of diluted shares outstanding for purposes computing diluted earnings per share under the treasury stock method. The transition guidance related to these changes has been adopted by the Company on a prospective basis.  · An entity is now required to recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period. Under the required modified retrospective transition, the Company had no cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings at January 1, 2017, as the Company had no previously unrecognized excess tax benefits.  · Excess tax benefits will be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows. Prior to the update, excess tax benefits were separated from other income tax cash flows and classified as a financing activity. In fiscal year 2016 and 2015, excess tax benefits of $893 and $431 , respectively, were recorded as part of financing cash inflows. The Company adopted these changes on a prospective basis.  · Cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax-withholding purposes upon vesting of a share-based payment award are now classified as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as operating cash outflows. This amendment has been adopted by the Company on a retrospective basis. As a result of the retrospective adoption of this amendment, cash outflows of $32 was reclassified in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows from "Changes in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities" to " Taxes paid related to net settlement upon vesting of equity awards " for the three months ended March 31, 2016.  · The threshold to qualify for equity classification of a share-based payment award would now permit withholding up to a maximum individual statutory tax rate in the applicable jurisdictions. The Company had no share-based payment awards receiving liability treatment under the prior rules. Therefore, the change from minimum up to a maximum statutory rate on tax withholdings had no impact on our consolidated financial statements and no cumulative effect adjustment was required.  · The Company has elected to continue its current policy of estimating forfeitures rather than recognizing forfeitures when they occur. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-07, “ Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting ”. The amendments eliminate the requirement to retroactively adopt the equity method of accounting when a change in ownership occurs. The amendments require that the equity method investor add the cost of acquiring the additional interest in the investee to the current basis of the investment and adopt the equity method of accounting as of the date the investment becomes qualified for equity method accounting. Therefore, upon qualifying for the equity method of accounting, no retroactive adjustment of the investment is required. This new guidance was adopted on January 1, 2017 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 “ Leases (Topic 842) ,” which will supersede the existing guidance for lease accounting. This new standard will require lessees to recognize leases on their balance sheets, and leaves lessor accounting largely unchanged. The new standard requires a dual approach for lessee accounting under which a lessee would account for leases as finance leases or operating leases. Both finance leases and operating leases will result in the lessee recognizing a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability. For finance leases, the lessee would recognize interest expense and amortization of the right-of-use asset, and for operating leases, the lessee would recognize a straight-line total lease expense. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, which for the Company will be effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. An entity will be required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this new standard on our consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, “ Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities ,” which requires that most equity investments be measured at fair value, with subsequent changes in fair value recognized in net income (other than those accounted for under equity method of accounting). Under the new guidance, entities will no longer be able to recognize unrealized holding gains and losses on equity securities classified today as available-for-sale in other comprehensive income, and they will no longer be able to use the cost method of accounting for equity securities that do not have readily determinable fair values. However, entities will be able to elect to record equity investments without readily determinable fair values at cost, less impairment, and plus or minus subsequent adjustments for observable price changes. The guidance for classifying and measuring investments in debt securities and loans is not impacted. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017, which for the Company is effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “ Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory ,” which requires all inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value, except for inventory that is accounted for using the LIFO or the retail inventory method, which will be measured under existing accounting standards. The new guidance must be applied on a prospective basis and was adopted on January 1, 2017 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, " Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ." This standard will supersede the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, " Revenue Recognition ," and most industry-specific guidance. The standard requires an entity to recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to receive in exchange for goods or services. In addition, during 2016, the FASB has issued ASU No. 2016-08, “ Principle versus Agent Considerations ,” ASU No. 2016-10, “ Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing ,” ASU No. 2016-12, “ Narrow Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients ,” and ASU No. 2016-20, “ Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ,” all of which clarify certain implementation guidance in ASU No. 2014-09. This standard along with the subsequent clarifications issued are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, making it effective for our fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. Early adoption is permitted to the original effective date for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The standard allows an entity to either apply the requirements retrospectively to all prior periods presented, or apply the requirements in the year of adoption, through a cumulative adjustment. We have not yet selected a transition method. While we are currently evaluating the impact of adoption of this new standard and clarifying guidance on our consolidated financial statements, we believe the most significant impact will be a change in the timing of revenue recognition in our licensing and WWE Studios businesses. We currently record revenues from our licensed products and WWE Studios film distribution revenues after receiving statements from the licensee and/or film distributor. Under the new revenue recognition rules, revenues will be recorded based on best estimates available in the period of sales or usage.

Segment Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Information [Abstract]
Segment Information	3. Segment Information T he Company currently classifies its operations into ten reportable segments. The ten reportable segments of the Company include the following: Network (which includes our pay-per-view business), Television, Home Entertainment and Digital Media, which are individual segments that comprise the Media Division; Live Events ; Licensing, Venue Merchandise and WWEShop, which are individual segments that comprise the Consumer Products Division; WWE Studios, and Corporate and Other (as defined below). The Company presents OIBDA as the primary measure of segment profit (loss). The Company defines OIBDA as operating income before depreciation and amortization, excluding feature film and television production asset amortization and impairments, as well as the amortization of costs related to content delivery and technology assets utilized for our WWE Network. The Company believes the presentation of OIBDA is relevant and useful for investors because it allows investors to view our segment performance in the same manner as the primary method used by management to evaluate segment performance and make decis ions about allocating resources. Additionally, we believe that OIBDA provides a meaningful representation of operating cash flows within our segments. We record certain costs within our Corporate and Other segment since the costs benefit the Company as a whole and are not directly attributable to our other reportable segments. These costs are presented into two categories, Corporate Support and Business Support. Corporate Support expenses primarily include our corporate general and administrative functions. Business Support expenses include our sales and marketing functions , our international offices, talent development costs , including costs associated with our WWE Performance Center , and our business strategy and data analytics functions. We do not disclose assets by segment information. In general, assets of the Company are leveraged across its reportable segments and we do not provide assets by segment information to our chief operating decision maker, as that information is not typically used in the determination of resource allocation and assessing business performance of each reportable segment. The following tables present summarized financial information for each of the Company's reportable segments:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Net revenues:  Network $ 46,470 $ 40,331  Television 64,016 60,719  Home Entertainment 2,432 3,269  Digital Media 5,735 5,397  Live Events 32,096 25,334  Licensing 20,097 21,042  Venue Merchandise 7,088 5,440  WWEShop 7,921 6,807  WWE Studios 1,282 1,943  Corporate & Other 1,307 818  Total net revenues $ 188,444 $ 171,100   OIBDA:  Network $ 14,286 $ 15,760  Television 30,834 28,307  Home Entertainment 822 1,544  Digital Media (505) (112)  Live Events 8,121 6,085  Licensing 13,394 14,271  Venue Merchandise 2,588 2,065  WWEShop 1,894 1,401  WWE Studios (2,928) (437)  Corporate & Other (57,649) (41,293)  Total OIBDA $ 10,857 $ 27,591  Reconciliation of Total Operating Income to Total OIBDA      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Total operating income $ 3,989 $ 22,004  Depreciation and amortization 6,868 5,587  Total OIBDA $ 10,857 $ 27,591  Geographic Information Net revenues by major geographic region are based upon the geographic location of where our content is distributed. The information below summarizes net revenues to unaffiliated customers by geographic area:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  North America $ 146,223 $ 130,020  Europe/Middle East/Africa 26,585 27,606  Asia Pacific 12,974 11,589  Latin America 2,662 1,885  Total net revenues $ 188,444 $ 171,100  Revenues generated from the United Kingdom, our largest international market, totaled $ 15,680 and $16,876 for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively. The Company’s property and equipment was almost entirely located in the United States at March 31, 2017 and 2016 .

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	4. Earni ngs Per Share For purposes of calculating ba sic and diluted earnings per share, we used the following weighted average common shares outstanding (in thousands):      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Net income $ 888 $ 13,885   Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 76,441 75,937  Dilutive effect of restricted and performance stock units 1,737 1,156  Dilutive effect of employee share purchase plan 3 2  Weighted average dilutive common shares outstanding 78,181 77,095   Earnings per share:  Basic and diluted $ 0.01 $ 0.18   Anti-dilutive outstanding restricted and performance stock units (excluded from per-share calculations) 557 511 The convertible notes due 2023 had no impact on diluted earnings per share during the three months ended March 31, 2017 since the average price of our common stock did not exceed the conversion price of $24.91 per share.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract]
Stock-based Compensation	5. Stock- b ased Compensation  Our 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan”) provides for equity-based incentive awards as determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors as incentives and rewards to encourage officers, employees, consultants and advisors of the Company and its affiliates and to non-employee directors of the Company to participate in our long-term success. Restricted Stock Units The Company grants restricted stock units ("RSUs") to officers and employees under the 2016 Plan. Stock-based compensation costs associated with our RSUs are determined using the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant. These costs are recognized over the requisite service period using the graded vesting method, net of estimated forfeitures. RSUs have a service requirement typically over a three and one half year vesting schedule and vest in equal annual installments. We estimate forfeitures based on historical trends when recognizing compensation expense and adjust the estimate of forfeitures when they are expected to differ or as forfeitures occur. Unvested RSUs accrue dividend equivalents at the same rate as are paid on our shares of Class A common stock. The dividend equivalents are subject to the same vesting schedule as the underlying RSUs. The following table summarizes the RSU activity during the three months ended March 31, 2017 :      Units Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value  Unvested at January 1, 2017 356,761 $ 16.68  Granted 311,891 $ 19.43  Vested (2,253) $ 18.03  Forfeited (18,473) $ 16.35  Dividend equivalents 3,507 $ 18.01  Unvested at March 31, 2017 651,433 $ 18.01   Performance Stock Units The Company grants performance stock units (“PSUs”) to officers and employees under the 2016 Plan. Stock-based compensation costs associated with our PSUs are initially determined using the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date the awards are approved by our Compensation Commi ttee (service inception date). The vesting of these PSUs are subject to certain performance conditions and a service requirement of typically three and one half years. Until such time as the performance conditions are met, stock compensation costs associated with these PSUs are re-measured each reporting period based upon the fair market value of the Company's common stock and the estimated performance att ainment on the reporting date. The ultimate number of PSUs that are issued to an employee is the result of the actual performance of the Company at the end of the performance period compared to the performance conditions. Stock compensation costs for our PSUs are recognized over the requisite service period using the graded vesting method, net of estimated forfeitures. We estimate forfeitures based on historical trends when recognizing compensation expense and adjust the estimate of forfeitures when they are expected to differ or as forfeitures occur. Unvested PSUs accrue dividend equivalents once the performance conditions are met at the same rate as are paid on our shares of Class A common stock. The dividend equivalents are subject to the same vesting schedule as the underlying PSUs. The following table summarizes the PSU activity during the three months ended March 31, 2017 :      Units Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value  Unvested at January 1, 2017 2,161,311 $ 16.39  Granted 550,460 $ 22.22  Achievement adjustment 282,662 $ 20.96  Forfeited (5,879) $ 20.96  Dividend equivalents 13,196 $ 17.87  Unvested at March 31, 2017 3,001,750 $ 18.67   During the three months ended March 31, 2017 , we granted 550,460 PSUs which are subject to certain performance conditions. During the year ended December 31, 2016 , we granted 956,730 PSUs , which were subject to performance conditions. During the first quarter of 2017 , the performance conditions related to these PSUs were exceeded, whi ch resulted in an increase of 282,662 PSUs in 2017 relating to the initial 2016 PSU grant. Stock-based compensation costs, which includes costs related to RSUs, PSUs and the Company's Employee Stock Purchase Plan, totaled $ 6,615 and $3,160 for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively.

Property And Equipment

Property And Equipment	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Property And Equipment [Abstract]
Property And Equipment	6. Property and Equipment Property and equipment consisted of the following:      As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Land, buildings and improvements $ 131,786 $ 130,330  Equipment 136,338 136,114  Corporate aircraft 31,277 31,277  Vehicles 244 244  299,645 297,965  Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization (169,768) (165,334)  Total $ 129,877 $ 132,631  Depreciation expense for property and equip ment totaled $ 6,429 and $5,281 for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , respectively.

Feature Film Production Assets,

Feature Film Production Assets, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Feature Film Production Assets, Net [Abstract]
Feature Film Production Assets, Net	7. Feature Film Production Assets, Net Feature film production assets consisted of the following:      As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  In release $ 17,845 $ 13,892  Completed but not released 5,862 8,881  In production 3,107 3,387  In development 1,064 977  Total $ 27,878 $ 27,137  Approximately 34% of “In release” film production assets are estimated to be amortized over the next 12 months, and approximately 67% of “In release” film production assets are estimated to be amortized over the next three years. We anticipate amortizing approximately 80% of our "In release" film production asset within four years as we receive revenues associated with television distr ibution of our licensed films. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , we amortized $653 and $1,106 , respectively, of feature film production assets. During these periods, our films were released under a co-distribution model. Under the co-distribution model, third-party distribution partners control the distribution and marketing of co-distributed films, and as a result, we recognize revenue on a net basis after the third-party distribut ion partners recoup distribution fees and expenses and results are reported to us. Results are typically reported to us in periods subsequent to the initial release of the film. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 , we release d one feature film via theatrical distribution, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone , and two films direct to DVD, Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania and The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! . These three films comprised $5,517 of our “In release” feature film assets as of March 31, 2017 . We currently have five films designated as “Completed but not released” and have two films “In production.” We also have capitalized certain script development costs and pre-production costs for various other film projects designated as “In development.” Capitalized script d evelopment costs are evaluated at each reporting period for impairment and to determine if a project is deemed to be abandoned. We did not record any impairment charges related to abandoned projects during the periods presented . Unamortized feature film production assets are evaluated for imp airment each reporting period. We review and revise estimates of ultimate revenue and participation costs at each reporting period to reflect the most current information available. If estimates for a film’s ultimate revenue and/or costs are revised and indicate a significant decline in a film’s profitability or if events or circumstances change that indicate we should assess whether the fair value of a film is less than its unamortized film costs, we calculate the film's estimated fair value using a discounted cash flows model. If fair value is less than unamortized cost, the film asset is written down to fair value. We record ed impairmen t charges of $2,078 related to our feature films during the three months ended March 31, 2017 . These impairment charges represent the excess of the recorded net carrying value over the estimated fair value. We did not record any impairment charges during the three months ended March 31, 2016 related to our feature films.

Television Production Assets, N

Television Production Assets, Net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Television Production Assets, Net [Abstract]
Television Production Assets, Net	8. Television Production Assets, Net Television production assets consisted of the following:      As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  In release $ 8,182 $ 12,198  In production 1,939 310  Total $ 10,121 $ 12,508  Television production assets consist primarily of non-live event episodic television series we have produced for distribution through a variety of platforms including on our WWE Network. Amounts capitalized include development costs, production costs, production overhead and employee salaries. Costs to produce episodic programming for television or distribution on WWE Network are amortized in the proportion that revenues bear to management's estimates of the ultimate revenue expected to be recognized from exploitation, exhibition or sale.  Amortization of television production assets consisted of the following:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  WWE Network programming $ 2,609 $ 1,333  Television programming 3,007 6,798  Total $ 5,616 $ 8,131  Costs to produce our live event programming are expensed when the event is first broadcast , and are not included in the capitalized costs or amortization tables noted above. Unamortized television production assets are evaluated for impairment each reporting period. If conditions indicate a potential impairment, and the estimated future cash flows are not sufficient to recover the unamortized asset, the asset is written down to fair value. In addition, if we determine that a program will not likely air, we will expense the remaining unamortized asset. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , we did no t record any impairments related to our television production assets.

Investment Securities And Short

Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments [Abstract]
Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments	9. Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments Investment Securities Included with in Investment Securities are the following:     As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Equity method investment $ 14,693 $ 14,592  Cost method investments 10,403 10,365  Total investment securities $ 25,096 $ 24,957 Equity Method Investment  In March 2015, WWE and ABG formed a joint venture to re-launch an apparel and lifestyle brand, Tapout (the "Brand"). ABG agreed to contribute certain intangible assets for the Brand, licensing contracts, systems, and other administrative functions to Tapout. The Company agreed to contribute promotional and marketing services related to the venture for a period of at least five years in exchange for a 50% interest in the profits and losses and voting interest in Tapout. The Company valued its initial investment of $13,800 based on the fair value of the existing licensing contracts contributed by ABG. To the extent that Tapout records income or losses, we record our share proportionate to our ownership percentage, and any dividends received reduce the carrying amount of the investment. Net equity method earnings from Tapout are included as a component of Investment income, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Net dividends received from Tapout are reflected on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as a component of Equity in earnings of affiliate, net of dividends received. The Company did not record any impairment charges related to our investment in Tapout during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.  The following table presents the net equity method earnings from Tapout and net dividends received from Tapout for the periods presented:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Net equity method earnings from Tapout $ 455 $ 422  Net dividends received from Tapout (353) (294)  Equity in earnings of affiliate, net of dividends received $ 102 $ 128  As promotional services are provided to Tapout, we record revenue and reduce th e existing service obligation. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 , we recorded revenues of $722 and $758 , respectively , related to our fulfillment of our promotional services obligation to Tapout. The remaining service obligation as of March 31, 2017 was $7,755 , and was included in Deferred Income and Non-Current Deferred Income for $2,760 and $4,995 , respectively. Our known maximum exposure to loss approximates the remaining service ob ligation to Tapout, which was $7,755 as of March 31, 2017 . Creditors of Tapout do not have recourse against the general credit of the Company. Cost Method Investments We evaluate our cost method investments for impairment if factors indicate that a significant decrease in value has occurred. The Company did no t record any impairment charges on our cost method investments during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 . Short-Term Investments Short-term investments measured at fair value consisted of the following:      As of March 31, 2017 As of December 31, 2016  Gross Unrealized Gross Unrealized  Amortized Fair Amortized Fair  Cost Gain (Loss) Value Cost Gain (Loss) Value  Corporate bonds $ 47,900 $ 7 $ (79) $ 47,828 $ 40,183 $ 9 $ (58) $ 40,134  Government securities 35,031 13 (66) 34,978 — — — —  Municipal bonds 22,284 1 (29) 22,256 15,075 — (45) 15,030  Total $ 105,215 $ 21 $ (174) $ 105,062 $ 55,258 $ 9 $ (103) $ 55,164  We classify the investments listed in the above table as available-for-sale securities. Such investments consist primarily of corporate bonds, government securities and municipal bonds, including pre-refunded municipal bonds. These investments are stated at fair value as required by the applicable accounting guidance. Unrealized gains and losses on such securities are reflected, net of tax, as other comprehensive income (loss) in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) . Our corporate bonds, government securities and municipal bonds are included in Short-term investments, net on ou r Consolidated Balance Sheets. Realized gains and losses on investments are included in earnings and are derived using the specific identification method for determinin g the cost of securities sold. As of March 31, 2017 , contractual maturities of these bonds are as follows:      Maturities  Corporate bonds 6 months - 3 years  Government securities 6 months - 5 years  Municipal bonds 1 month - 3 years  The following table summarizes the short-term investment activity:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Proceeds from maturities and calls of short-term investments $ 11,020 $ —  Purchases of short-term investments $ 61,285 $ —

Fair Value Measurement

Fair Value Measurement	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Fair Value Measurement [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurement	10. Fair Value Measurement Fair value is determined based on the exchange price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market partici pants at the measurement date. Fair value is a market-based measurement based on assumptions that market participants would use to price the asset or liability. Accordingly, the framework considers markets or observable inputs as the preferred source of value followed by assumptions based on hypothetical transactions, in the absence of market inputs. The fair value should be calculated based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, not on assumptions specific to the entity. In addition, the fair value of assets and liabilities should include consideration of non-performance risk, including the Company's own credit risk. Additionally, the accounting guidance establishes a three-level hierarchy that ranks the quality and reliability of information used in developing fair value estimates. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets and the lowest priority to unobservable data. In cases where two or more levels of inputs are used to determine fair value, a financial instrument's level is determined based on the lowest level input that is considered significant to the fair valu e measurement in its entirety. The three input levels of the fair value hierarchy are summarized as follows:   Level 1- Observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2- Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and liabilities that are directly or indirectly observable; or Level 3- Unobservable inputs, such as discounted cash flow models or valuations, in which little or no market data exists. The following assets are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis and the classification within the hierarchy was as follows:      Fair Value at March 31, 2017 Fair Value at December 31, 2016  Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3  Corporate bonds $ 47,828 $ — $ 47,828 $ — $ 40,134 $ — $ 40,134 $ —  Government securities 34,978 — 34,978 — — — — —  Municipal bonds 22,256 — 22,256 — 15,030 — 15,030 —  Total $ 105,062 $ — $ 105,062 $ — $ 55,164 $ — $ 55,164 $ —  Certain financial instruments are carried at cost on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, which approximates fair value due to their sho rt-term, highly liquid nature. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, money market accounts, accounts receivable, and accounts payable approximate fair value because of the short-term nature of such instruments. The carrying amount of short-term debt outstanding pursuant to our Film Credit Facility approximates fair value as interest rates on these instruments approximate current market rates. We have classifi ed our investment in corporate bonds, government securities and municipal bonds within Level 2, as their valuation requires quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and/or model-based valuation techniques for which all significant inputs are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observab le market data. The corporate bonds, government securities and municipal bonds are valued based on model-driven valuations. A third party service provider assists the Company with compiling market prices from a variety of industry standard data sources, security master files from large financial institutions and other third-party sources that a re used to value our corporate bond, government securities and municipal bond investments. The Company did not have any transfers between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 fair value investments during the periods presented. The fair value measurements of our cost method investments are classified within Level 3 as significant unobservable inputs are used to measure the fair value of these assets due to the absence of quoted market prices a nd inherent lack of liquidity. Significant unobservable inputs include variables such as near-term prospects of the investees, recent financing activities of the investees, and the investees' capital structure, as well as other economic variables, which reflect assumptions market participants wou ld use in pricing these assets. Our investments are recorded at fair value only if an im pairment charge is recognized. The Company did no t record an y impairment charge s on these assets during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 . The Company's long lived property and equipment, feature film and television production assets are required to be measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis if it is determined that i ndicators of impairment exist. These assets are recorded at fair value only whe n an impairment is recognized. The Company did not record any impairment charges on long lived property and equipment and television production assets during three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 . T he Company classifies these assets as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy due to significant unobservable inputs. During the three months ended March 31, 2017 , the Company recorded impairment charges of $2,078 on feature film production assets based upon fair value measurements of $2,237 . See Note 7, Feature Film Production Assets, Net , for further discussion. We did no t record any impairment charges on these assets during the three months ended March 31, 2016 . The Company classifies these assets as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy due to significant unobservable inputs. The Company utilizes a discounted cash flows model to determine the fair value of these impaired films where indicators of impairment exist. The significant unobservable inputs to this model are the Company’s expected cash flows for the film, including projected home video sales, pay and free TV sales and international sales, and a discount rate of 13% that we estimate market participants would seek for bearing the risk associated with such assets. The Company utilizes an independent third party valuation specialist who assists us in gathering the necessary inputs used in our model. The fair value of the Company’s long-term debt, consisting of a mortgage loan assumed in connection with a building purchase and a promissory note secured by the Company's Corporate Jet, is estimated based upon quoted price estimates for similar debt arrangements. At March 31, 2017 , the face amount of the mortgage loan and promissory note approximates their fair value.  As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , the calculation of the fair value of the debt component of the Company’s convertible debt required the use of Level 3 inputs, and was determined by calculating the fair value of similar debt without the associated conversion feature, using a borrowing rate of approximately 6.40%:      March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016  Fair Value Carrying Value (1) Fair Value Carrying Value (1)  Convertible senior notes $ 180,406 $ 179,529 $ 166,702 $ 166,050 (1) The carrying value of the convertible debt instrument presented in the table above represents the face value of the convertible note less unamortized debt discount.

Accounts Payable And Accrued Ex

Accounts Payable And Accrued Expenses	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Accounts Payable And Accrued Expenses [Abstract]
Accounts Payable And Accrued Expenses	11. Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses Accounts payable and accrued expenses consisted of the following:      As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Trade related $ 6,558 $ 10,118  Staff related 6,292 7,494  Management incentive compensation 4,321 21,542  Talent related 4,649 6,969  Accrued WWE Network related expenses 4,347 2,120  Accrued event and television production 7,367 7,031  Accrued legal and professional 7,382 1,952  Accrued purchases of property and equipment 2,443 2,940  Accrued film liability 393 366  Accrued other 11,804 9,828  Total $ 55,556 $ 70,360  Accrued other includes accruals for our international and licensing business activities, as well as other miscellaneous accruals, none of which categories individually exceeds 5% of current liabilities. The decrease in accrued expenses is primarily due to the payout of the Company’s fiscal 2016 bonus, partially offset by an increase in accrued legal and professional fees primarily related to non-recurring legal matters and other contractual obligations .

Long-Term Debt And Credit Facil

Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities	12. Long-Term Debt and Credit Facilities Long-Term Debt Included within Long-Term Debt are the following:      As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Current portion of long-term debt :  Film Credit Facility $ 2,966 $ 1,583  Aircraft financing 4,563 4,538  Total current portion of long-term debt 7,529 6,121   Long-term debt :  Aircraft financing $ 11,446 $ 12,596  Mortgage 23,000 23,000  Total long-term debt 34,446 35,596   Total $ 41,975 $ 41,717 Mortgage In September 2016, the Company acquired real property and assumed future obligations under a loan agreement, dated June 8, 2015, in the principal amount of $23,000 , which loan is secured by a mortgage on the property. The loan bears interest at the rate of 4.50% per annum and requires monthly interest only payments of $86 until June 2018 and interest and principal payments of $117 per month thereafter, with a balloon payment on maturity in July 2025 . There is a significant yield maintenance premium for prepayments. Pursuant to the Assumption Agreement, since the assets of WWE Real Estate, a subsidiary of the Company, represent collateral for the underlying mortgage, these assets will not be available to satisfy debts and obligations due to any other creditors of the Company. Aircraft Financing In August 2013, the Company entered into a $31,568 promissory note (the “ Aircraft Note”) with Citizens Asset Finance, Inc., for the purchase of a 2007 Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft and refurbishments. The Aircraft Note bears interest at a rate of 2.18% per annum, is payable in monthly installments of $406 , inclusive of interest, and has a final maturity of August 7, 2020 . The Aircraft Note is secured by a first priority perfected security interest in the purchased aircraft. Credit Facilities Revolving Credit Facility In December 2016, in connection with the issuance of the Notes, as defined below, we entered into an amended and restated $100,000 senior unsecured revolving credit facility with a syndicated group of banks, with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. acting as Administrative Agent (the “Revolving Credit Facility”). The Revolving Credit Facility has a maturity date of July 29, 2021 . Applicable interest rates for the borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility are based on the Company's current consolidated leverage ratio. As of March 31, 2017 , the LIBOR-based rate plus margin was 2.40% . The Company is required to pay a commitment fee calculated at a rate per annum of 0.25% on the average daily unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility. Under the terms of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Company is subject to certain financial covenants and restrictions, including restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and limitations with respect to our indebtedness, liens, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions of assets, investments, capital expenditures and transactions with affiliates. As of March 31, 2017 , the Company was in compliance with the Revolving Credit Facility, and had available debt capacity under the terms of the Revolving Credit Facility of $100,000. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 , there were no amounts outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility. Film Credit Facility In May 2015, two domestic subsidiaries of the Company, WWE Studios Finance Corporation and WWE Studios Finance Holding Corporation (collectively, the “Loan Parties”) entered into a $35,000 secured asset based revolving credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent and lender (the “Film Credit Facility”). Funds under the Film Credit Facility can be used for, among other things, development of films and television projects. Under the Film Credit Facility, the WWE Studios Finance Corp oration is allowed to borrow amounts of up to an aggregate of $35,000 based on a borrowing base formula. As of March 31, 2017 , borrowings of $2,966 have been made under the Film C redit Facility. The Company has the intent and ability to repay the amounts outstanding under the Film Credit Facility within one year, and as such, the outstanding balance as of March 31, 2017 has been classified as a current portion of long-debt within our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Film Credit Facility has a five -year term, and it is secured by substantially all t he assets of the Loan Parties. The applicable interest rate for borrowings under the Film Credit Facility is a LIBOR-based rate plus 2.50% on LIBOR-based borrowings or an alternate base rate plus 1.50% for alternate base rate borrowings, in all cases subject to adjustment downward based on the status of film projects. As of March 31, 2017 , the LIB OR-based rate plus margin was 3.65% . The Loan Parties are required to pay certain fees, including a commitment fee, calculated at a rate per annum of 0.50% on the average daily unutilized portion of the Film Credit Facility. Under the terms of the Film Credit Facility, the Loan Parties are subject to certain financial covenants and restrictions, including limitations with respect to indebtedness, liens, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions of assets, investments, capital expenditures, and trans actions with affiliates. As of March 31, 2017 , the Company was in compliance with the Film Credit Facility , and had $7,625 of available capacity under the terms of the Film Credit Facility.

Convertible Debt

Convertible Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Convertible Debt [Abstract]
Convertible Debt	13. Convertible Debt On December 12, 2016, we entered into a purchase agreement with J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co., LLC, as representatives of the several initial purchases named therein (collectively, the “Initial Purchasers”), to issue and sell $200,000 aggregate principal amount of our 3.375% convertible senior notes due 2023 (the "Initial Notes") in a private placement to qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In addition, we granted the Initial Purchasers a 30 -day option to purchase up to an additional $30,000 aggregate principal amount of the Notes (the “Over-Allotment Option”). The sale of the Initial Notes to the Initial Purchasers settled on December 16, 2016, and resulted in $193,899 in net proceeds to WWE after deducting the initial purchasers’ discount and the estimated offering expenses. On January 11, 2017, the Initial Purchasers partially exercised their Over-Allotment Option to purchase an additional $15,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Initial Notes (the “Additional Notes” and together with the “Initial Notes”, the “Notes”). On January 17, 2017, the transaction settled and resulted in $14,534 in net proceeds to WWE after deducting the initial purchasers’ discount and the offering expenses. The Notes are due December 15, 2023 , unless earlier repurchased by us or converted. Interest is payable semi-annually in arrears on June15 and December 15 of each year, beginning on June 15, 2017. Proceeds from the Notes were used, in part, to pay for the cost of the convertible note hedge of $34,100 related to the Initial Notes and $2,558 related to the Additional Notes, which were partially offset by proceeds of $19,460 received from the sale of warrants in connection with the Initial Notes and $1,460 received in connection with the Additional Notes (described further below). The remaining proceeds will be used to support the execution of our long-term growth strategy and for general corporate purposes. The Notes are governed by an Indenture between us, as issuer, and U.S. Bank, National Association, as trustee. The Notes will be our general unsecured obligations and will rank senior in right of payment to any of our indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Notes; equal in right of payment to any of our unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of our secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of our subsidiaries. In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization or other winding up, our assets that secure secured debt will be available to pay obligations on the Notes only after all indebtedness under such secured debt has been repaid in full from such assets. Upon conversion, we will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of our Class A common stock or a combination of cash and shares of Class A common stock, at our election. As a result of our cash conversion option, we separately accounted for the value of the embedded conversion option as a debt discount. The value of the embedded conversion option was determined based on the estimated fair value of the debt without the conversion feature, which was determined using an expected present value technique (income approach) to estimate the fair value of similar nonconvertible debt; the debt discount is being amortized as additional non-cash interest expense over the term of the Notes using the effective interest method with an effective interest rate of 6.40% per annum. The equity component is not remeasured as long as it continues to meet the conditions for equity classification. The initial conversion rate is 40.1405 shares of common stock per $1 principal amount of Notes, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of $24.91 per share of Class A common stock. Throughout the term of the Notes, the conversion rate may be adjusted upon the occurrence of certain events. Holders of the Notes will not receive any cash payment representing accrued and unpaid interest upon conversion of a note. Accrued but unpaid interest will be deemed to be paid in full upon conversion rather than cancelled, extinguished or forfeited. Prior to the close of the business date immediately preceding June 15, 2023, the Notes will be convertible under the following circumstances:  a) During any calendar quarter beginning after the calendar quarter ending on December 31, 2016 (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day;  b) During the 5 business day period after any 10 consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per $1 principal amount of Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day;  c) Upon the occurrence of specified corporate events; or  d) On or after June 15, 2023 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert all or any portion of their Notes, in multiples of $1 principal amount, at the option of the holder regardless of the foregoing circumstances. As of March 31, 2017 , the Notes are not yet convertible. In accounting for the transaction costs related to the Note issuance, we allocated the total amount of offering costs incurred to the debt and equity components based on their relative values. Offering costs attributable to the debt component, totaling $5,454 , are being amortized as non-cash interest expense over the term of the Notes, and offering costs attributable to the equity component, totaling $1,110 , were netted with the equity component in stockholders' equity. The Notes consisted of the following components:      As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Debt component :  Principal $ 215,000 $ 200,000  Less: Unamortized debt discount (35,471) (33,950)  Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs (5,305) (5,042)  Net carrying amount $ 174,224 $ 161,008   Equity component (1) $ 35,547 $ 33,060 (1) Recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within additional paid-in capital, net of the $1,110 issuance costs in equity. The following table sets forth total interest expense recognized related to the Notes:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017  3.375% contractual coupon $ 1,790  Amortization of debt discount 1,036  Amortization of debt issuance costs 132  Interest expense $ 2,958  Convertible Note Hedge In connection with the pricing of the Notes, on December 12, 2016 and the subsequent partial exercise of the Over-Allotment Option on January 11, 2017, we entered into convertible note hedge transactions with respect to our Class A common stock (the “Note Hedge”) with JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, London Branch, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc and Citibank, N.A., affiliates of three of the Initial Purchasers (collectively, the “Counterparties”). The settlement of the Note Hedge transactions occurred on December 16, 2016 related to the Initial Notes and on January 17, 2017 related to the Additional Notes and resulted in an aggregate payment to the Note Hedge Counterparties of $34,100 and $2,558 , respectively. The Note Hedge transactions cover, subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those in the Notes, approximately 8.03 million shares and 602,107 shares of our Class A common stock, the same number of shares initially underlying the Initial Notes and Additional Notes, respectively, at a strike price that initially corresponds to the initial conversion price of the Notes, and are exercisable upon conversion of the Notes. The Note Hedge will expire on December 15, 2023, unless earlier terminated. The Note Hedge is intended to offset the potential dilution to our Class A common stock upon any conversion of the Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount upon conversion of the Notes in the event that the market price per share of our Class A common stock, as measured under the Notes, is greater than the strike price of the Note Hedge, which initially corresponds to the conversion price of the Notes and is subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the conversion rate of the Notes. The Note Hedge transactions are separate transactions, entered into by us with the Counterparties, and are not part of the terms of the Notes, and have been accounted for as part of additional paid-in capital. Holders of the Notes will not have any rights with respect to the Note Hedge transactions. Warrant Transactions In connection with entering into the Note Hedge transactions described above, we also concurrently entered into separate warrant transactions (the “Warrants”), to sell warrants to acquire, collectively, subject to anti-dilution adjustments, approximately 8.03 million shares of our Class A common stock in connection with the Note Hedge transaction on December 12, 2016 and 602,107 shares of our Class A common stock in connection with the Note Hedge transaction on January 11, 2017, both at an initial strike price of approximately $31.89 per share, which represents a premium of approximately 60.0% over the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock of $19.93 on December 12, 2016. The settlement of the Warrant transactions occurred on December 16, 2016 and January 17, 2017 and resulted in aggregate proceeds received of $19,460 and $1,460 , respectively, from the sale of the Warrants to the Counterparties. If the market price per share of our Class A common stock, as measured under the Warrants, exceeds the strike price of the Warrants, the Warrants could have a dilutive effect with respect to our Class A common stock, unless we elect, subject to certain conditions, to settle the Warrants in cash. The Warrants are transactions, entered into by us with the Counterparties, separately from the Notes or the Note Hedge, and have been accounted for as part of additional paid-in capital. Holders of the Notes and Note Hedge will not have any rights with respect to the Warrants.

Concentration Of Credit Risk

Concentration Of Credit Risk	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Concentration Of Credit Risk [Abstract]
Concentration Of Credit Risk	1 4 . Concentration of Credit Risk We continually monitor our position with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions that are counterparties to our financial instruments. Our accounts receivable relate principally to a limited number of distributors, including our WWE Network, television, pay-per-view, and home video distributors, and licensees that produce consumer products contain ing our intellectual property. We closely monitor the status of receivables with these customers and maintain allowances for anticipated losses as deemed appropriate. At March 31, 2017 , our three largest receivabl e balances from customers were 20% , 14% and 14% of our gross accounts receivable. At December 31, 2016 , our two largest receivable balances from customers 17% and 15% of our gross accounts receivable. No other customers individually exceeded 10% of our gross accounts receivable balance.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Income Taxes	1 5 . Income Taxes As of March 31, 2017 , we had $32,512 of deferred tax assets, net, included in non- current income tax assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of December 31, 2016 , we had $32,556 of deferred tax assets, net, included in non-current income tax assets in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company considers all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine whether, based on the weight of that evidence, a valuation allowance is required to reduce the net deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized in future periods. The Company believes that based on past performance, expected future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies, it is more likely than not that the net deferred tax asset s will be realized. Changes in these factors may cause us to increase our valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, which would impact our income tax expense in the period we determine that these factors have changed. 

Film And Television Production

Film And Television Production Incentives	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Film And Television Production Incentives [Abstract]
Film And Television Production Incentives	1 6 . Film and Television Production Incentives The Company has access to various governmental programs that are designed to promote film and television production within the United States of America and certain international jurisdictions. Incentives earned with respect to expenditures on qualifying film production activities and capital projects are recorded as an offset to the related asset balances. Incentives earned with respect to television and other production activities are recorded as an offset to production expenses. The Company recognizes these benefits when we have reasonable assurance regarding the realizable amount of the incentives. We recorded the following incentives during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 :      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Television production incentives $ — $ 2,530  Feature film production incentives 460 824  Total $ 460 $ 3,354

Commitments And Contingencies

Commitments And Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract]
Commitments And Contingencies	17 . Commitments and Contingencies Legal Proceeding s  On October 23, 2014, a lawsuit was filed in the U. S. District Court for the District of Oregon, entitled William Albert Haynes III, on behalf of himself and others similarly situated, v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. This complaint was amended on January 30, 2015 and alleges that the Company ignored, downplayed, and/or failed to disclose the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries suffered by WWE’s performers and seeks class action status. On March 31, 2015, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the first amended class action complaint in its entirety or, if not dismissed, to transfer the lawsuit to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Without addressing the merits of the Company's motion to dismiss, the Court transferred the case to Connecticut on June 25, 2015. The plaintiffs filed an objection to such transfer, which was denied on July 27, 2015. On January 16, 2015, a second lawsuit was filed in the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, entitled Evan Singleton and Vito LoGrasso, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. , alleging many of the same allegations as Haynes . On February 27, 2015, the Company moved to transfer venue to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut due to forum-selection clauses in the contracts between WWE and the plaintiffs and that motion was granted on March 23, 2015. The plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on May 22, 2015 and, following a scheduling conference in which the court ordered the plaintiffs to cure various pleading deficiencies, the plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint on June 15, 2015. On June 29, 2015, WWE moved to dismiss the second amended complaint in its entirety. On April 9, 2015, a third lawsuit was filed in the U. S. District Court for the Central District of California, entitled Russ McCullough, a/k/a “Big Russ McCullough,” Ryan Sakoda, and Matthew R. Wiese a/k/a “Luther Reigns,” individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. , asserting similar allegations to Haynes . The Company again moved to transfer the lawsuit to Connecticut due to forum-selection clauses in the contracts between WWE and the plaintiffs, which the California court granted on July 10, 2015. On September 21, 2015, the plaintiffs amended this complaint and, on November 16, 2015, the Company moved to dismiss the amended complaint. Each of these suits seeks unspecified actual, compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief, including ordering medical monitoring. The Haynes and McCullough cases purport to be class actions. On February 18, 2015, a lawsuit was filed in Tennessee state court and subsequently removed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, entitled Cassandra Frazier, individually and as next of kin to her deceased husband, Nelson Lee Frazier, Jr., and as personal representative of the Estate of Nelson Lee Frazier, Jr. Deceased, v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. A similar suit was filed in the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entitled Michelle James, as mother and next friend of Matthew Osborne, minor child, and Teagan Osborne, a minor child v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. These lawsuits contain many of the same allegations as the other lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries and further allege that the injuries contributed to these former talents’ deaths. WWE moved to transfer the Frazier and Osborne lawsuits to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut based on forum-selection clauses in the decedents’ contracts with WWE, which motions were granted by the respective courts. On November 23, 2015, amended complaints were filed in Frazier and Osborne , which the Company moved to dismiss on December 16, 2015 and December 21, 2015, respectively. On November 10, 2016, the Court granted the Company’s motions to dismiss the Frazier and Osborne lawsuits in their entirety. On June 29, 2015, the Company filed a declaratory judgment action in the U. S. District Court for the District of Connecticut entitled World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. v. Robert Windham, Thomas Billington, James Ware, Oreal Perras and various John and Jane Does seeking a declaration against these former performers that their threatened claims related to alleged traumatic brain injuries and/or other tort claims are time-barred. On September 21, 2015, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss this complaint, which the Company opposed. The Court previously ordered a stay of discovery in all cases pending decisions on the motions to dismiss. On January 15, 2016, the Court partially lifted the stay and permitted discovery only on three issues in the case involving Singleton and LoGrasso. Such discovery was completed by June 1, 2016. On March 21, 2016, the Court issued a memorandum of decision granting in part and denying in part the Company’s motions to dismiss the Haynes, Singleton/LoGrasso, and McCullough lawsuits. The Court granted the Company’s motions to dismiss the Haynes and McCullough lawsuits in their entirety and granted the Company’s motion to dismiss all claims in the Singleton/LoGrasso lawsuit except for the claim of fraud by omission. On March 22, 2016, the Court issued an order dismissing the Windham lawsuit based on the Court’s memorandum of decision on the motions to dismiss. On April 4, 2016, the Company filed a motion for reconsideration with respect to the Court’s decision not to dismiss the fraud by omission claim in the Singleton/LoGrasso lawsuit and, on April 5, 2016, the Company filed a motion for reconsideration with respect to the Court dismissal of the Windham lawsuit. On July 21, 2016, the Court denied the Company’s motion in the Singleton/LoGrasso lawsuit and granted in part the Company’s motion in the Windham lawsuit. On April 20, 2016, the plaintiffs filed notices of appeal of the Haynes and McCullough lawsuits. On April 27, 2016, the Company moved to dismiss the appeals for lack of appellate jurisdiction, which motions were granted and the appeals were dismissed with leave to appeal upon the resolution of all of the consolidated cases. The Company has filed a motion for summary judgment on the sole remaining claim in the Singleton/LoGrasso lawsuit. Lastly, on July 18, 2016, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, entitled Joseph M. Laurinaitis, et al. vs. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and Vincent K. McMahon, individually and as the trustee of certain trusts . This lawsuit contains many of the same allegations as the other lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries and further alleges, among other things, that the plaintiffs were misclassified as independent contractors rather than employees denying them, among other things, rights and benefits under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), federal tax law, and various state Worker’s Compensation laws. This lawsuit also alleges that the booking contracts and other agreements between the plaintiffs and the Company are unconscionable and should be declared void, entitling the plaintiffs to certain damages relating to the Company’s use of their intellectual property. The lawsuit alleges claims for violation of RICO, unjust enrichment, and an accounting against Mr. McMahon. The Company and Mr. McMahon moved to dismiss this complaint on October 19, 2016. On November 9, 2016, the Laurinaitis plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. On December 23, 2016, the Company and Mr. McMahon moved to dismiss the amended complaint. The Company believes all claims and threatened claims against the Company in these various lawsuits are being prompted by the same plaintiffs’ lawyer and are without merit. The Company intends to continue to defend itself against these lawsuits vigorously.  On August 9, 2016, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut entitled Marcus Bagwell, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. The lawsuit alleges claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, C.G.S. §42-110a, et seq., principally arising from WWE’s alleged failure to pay royalties for streaming video on WWE Network. On September 7, 2016, a motion for leave to amend was filed along with a proposed amended complaint that, among other things, sought to add Scott Levy as an individual plaintiff and WCW, Inc. as a defendant. On November 4, 2016, the Court granted plaintiffs’ motion for leave to amend and plaintiffs filed their amended complaint on November 7, 2016. On December 2, 2016, the Company moved to dismiss the amended complaint. The Company believes all claims against the Company in this lawsuit are without merit and intends to continue to defend itself vigorously.  In addition to the foregoing, from time to time we become a party to other lawsuits and claims. By its nature, the outcome of litigation is not known, but the Company does not currently expect this ordinary course litigation to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. 

Significant Accounting Polici26

Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Cost of Revenues	Cost of Revenues Included within Costs of revenues are the following:      Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Amortization and impairment of feature film assets $ 2,731 $ 1,106  Amortization of television production assets 5,616 8,131  Amortization of WWE Network content delivery and technology assets 1,664 1,149  Total amortization and impairment included in cost of revenues $ 10,011 $ 10,386 Costs to produce our live event programming are expensed when the event is first broadcast, and are not included in the amortization table noted above.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In January 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2017-01, “ Business Combinations (Topic 805) Clarifying the Definition of a Business ”. The amendments in this ASU clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The definition of a business affects many areas of accounting including acquisitions, disposals, goodwill, and consolidation. The guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, which for the Company will be effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, “ Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments ,” which addresses eight specific cash flow issues and is intended to reduce diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, which for the Company will be effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in the ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard and does not expect it to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.  In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, " Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. " This update simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. The update contains various amendments, each requiring a specific method of adoption, and designates whether each amendment should be adopted using a retrospective, modified retrospective, or prospective transition method. The new guidance was adopted on January 1, 2017. The impact of adoption of the update is summarized below:  · All excess tax benefits and deficiencies that result from the difference between the deduction for tax purposes and the compensation cost recognized for financial reporting purposes related to our share-based payment awards will be recognized as income tax benefit or expense in the income statement instead of as an adjustment to additional paid-in capital. In addition, excess tax benefits are no longer included in the calculation of diluted shares outstanding for purposes computing diluted earnings per share under the treasury stock method. The transition guidance related to these changes has been adopted by the Company on a prospective basis.  · An entity is now required to recognize excess tax benefits regardless of whether the benefit reduces taxes payable in the current period. Under the required modified retrospective transition, the Company had no cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings at January 1, 2017, as the Company had no previously unrecognized excess tax benefits.  · Excess tax benefits will be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity on the statement of cash flows. Prior to the update, excess tax benefits were separated from other income tax cash flows and classified as a financing activity. In fiscal year 2016 and 2015, excess tax benefits of $893 and $431 , respectively, were recorded as part of financing cash inflows. The Company adopted these changes on a prospective basis.  · Cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax-withholding purposes upon vesting of a share-based payment award are now classified as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows rather than as operating cash outflows. This amendment has been adopted by the Company on a retrospective basis. As a result of the retrospective adoption of this amendment, cash outflows of $32 was reclassified in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows from "Changes in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities" to " Taxes paid related to net settlement upon vesting of equity awards " for the three months ended March 31, 2016.  · The threshold to qualify for equity classification of a share-based payment award would now permit withholding up to a maximum individual statutory tax rate in the applicable jurisdictions. The Company had no share-based payment awards receiving liability treatment under the prior rules. Therefore, the change from minimum up to a maximum statutory rate on tax withholdings had no impact on our consolidated financial statements and no cumulative effect adjustment was required.  · The Company has elected to continue its current policy of estimating forfeitures rather than recognizing forfeitures when they occur. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-07, “ Investments – Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323): Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting ”. The amendments eliminate the requirement to retroactively adopt the equity method of accounting when a change in ownership occurs. The amendments require that the equity method investor add the cost of acquiring the additional interest in the investee to the current basis of the investment and adopt the equity method of accounting as of the date the investment becomes qualified for equity method accounting. Therefore, upon qualifying for the equity method of accounting, no retroactive adjustment of the investment is required. This new guidance was adopted on January 1, 2017 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 “ Leases (Topic 842) ,” which will supersede the existing guidance for lease accounting. This new standard will require lessees to recognize leases on their balance sheets, and leaves lessor accounting largely unchanged. The new standard requires a dual approach for lessee accounting under which a lessee would account for leases as finance leases or operating leases. Both finance leases and operating leases will result in the lessee recognizing a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability. For finance leases, the lessee would recognize interest expense and amortization of the right-of-use asset, and for operating leases, the lessee would recognize a straight-line total lease expense. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years, which for the Company will be effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. An entity will be required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this new standard on our consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, “ Financial Instruments-Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities ,” which requires that most equity investments be measured at fair value, with subsequent changes in fair value recognized in net income (other than those accounted for under equity method of accounting). Under the new guidance, entities will no longer be able to recognize unrealized holding gains and losses on equity securities classified today as available-for-sale in other comprehensive income, and they will no longer be able to use the cost method of accounting for equity securities that do not have readily determinable fair values. However, entities will be able to elect to record equity investments without readily determinable fair values at cost, less impairment, and plus or minus subsequent adjustments for observable price changes. The guidance for classifying and measuring investments in debt securities and loans is not impacted. The new guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017, which for the Company is effective for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this new standard will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, “ Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory ,” which requires all inventory to be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value, except for inventory that is accounted for using the LIFO or the retail inventory method, which will be measured under existing accounting standards. The new guidance must be applied on a prospective basis and was adopted on January 1, 2017 with no material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, " Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ." This standard will supersede the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, " Revenue Recognition ," and most industry-specific guidance. The standard requires an entity to recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to receive in exchange for goods or services. In addition, during 2016, the FASB has issued ASU No. 2016-08, “ Principle versus Agent Considerations ,” ASU No. 2016-10, “ Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing ,” ASU No. 2016-12, “ Narrow Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients ,” and ASU No. 2016-20, “ Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers ,” all of which clarify certain implementation guidance in ASU No. 2014-09. This standard along with the subsequent clarifications issued are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, making it effective for our fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018. Early adoption is permitted to the original effective date for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The standard allows an entity to either apply the requirements retrospectively to all prior periods presented, or apply the requirements in the year of adoption, through a cumulative adjustment. We have not yet selected a transition method. While we are currently evaluating the impact of adoption of this new standard and clarifying guidance on our consolidated financial statements, we believe the most significant impact will be a change in the timing of revenue recognition in our licensing and WWE Studios businesses. We currently record revenues from our licensed products and WWE Studios film distribution revenues after receiving statements from the licensee and/or film distributor. Under the new revenue recognition rules, revenues will be recorded based on best estimates available in the period of sales or usage.

Significant Accounting Polici27

Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Cost of Revenues	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Amortization and impairment of feature film assets $ 2,731 $ 1,106  Amortization of television production assets 5,616 8,131  Amortization of WWE Network content delivery and technology assets 1,664 1,149  Total amortization and impairment included in cost of revenues $ 10,011 $ 10,386 

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Information [Abstract]
Summary of Financial Information for Reportable Segments	     Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Net revenues:  Network $ 46,470 $ 40,331  Television 64,016 60,719  Home Entertainment 2,432 3,269  Digital Media 5,735 5,397  Live Events 32,096 25,334  Licensing 20,097 21,042  Venue Merchandise 7,088 5,440  WWEShop 7,921 6,807  WWE Studios 1,282 1,943  Corporate & Other 1,307 818  Total net revenues $ 188,444 $ 171,100   OIBDA:  Network $ 14,286 $ 15,760  Television 30,834 28,307  Home Entertainment 822 1,544  Digital Media (505) (112)  Live Events 8,121 6,085  Licensing 13,394 14,271  Venue Merchandise 2,588 2,065  WWEShop 1,894 1,401  WWE Studios (2,928) (437)  Corporate & Other (57,649) (41,293)  Total OIBDA $ 10,857 $ 27,591 
Reconciliation of Total Operating (Loss) Income to Total OIBDA	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Total operating income $ 3,989 $ 22,004  Depreciation and amortization 6,868 5,587  Total OIBDA $ 10,857 $ 27,591 
Schedule of Net Revenues by Major Geographic Region	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  North America $ 146,223 $ 130,020  Europe/Middle East/Africa 26,585 27,606  Asia Pacific 12,974 11,589  Latin America 2,662 1,885  Total net revenues $ 188,444 $ 171,100 

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share	     Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Net income $ 888 $ 13,885   Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 76,441 75,937  Dilutive effect of restricted and performance stock units 1,737 1,156  Dilutive effect of employee share purchase plan 3 2  Weighted average dilutive common shares outstanding 78,181 77,095   Earnings per share:  Basic and diluted $ 0.01 $ 0.18   Anti-dilutive outstanding restricted and performance stock units (excluded from per-share calculations) 557 511 

Stock-Based Compensation (Table

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Stock-Based Compensation [Abstract]
Summary of RSU Activity	   Units Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value  Unvested at January 1, 2017 356,761 $ 16.68  Granted 311,891 $ 19.43  Vested (2,253) $ 18.03  Forfeited (18,473) $ 16.35  Dividend equivalents 3,507 $ 18.01  Unvested at March 31, 2017 651,433 $ 18.01 
Summary of PSU Activity	   Units Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value  Unvested at January 1, 2017 2,161,311 $ 16.39  Granted 550,460 $ 22.22  Achievement adjustment 282,662 $ 20.96  Forfeited (5,879) $ 20.96  Dividend equivalents 13,196 $ 17.87  Unvested at March 31, 2017 3,001,750 $ 18.67 

Property And Equipment (Tables)

Property And Equipment (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Property And Equipment [Abstract]
Schedule of Property and Equipment	   As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Land, buildings and improvements $ 131,786 $ 130,330  Equipment 136,338 136,114  Corporate aircraft 31,277 31,277  Vehicles 244 244  299,645 297,965  Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization (169,768) (165,334)  Total $ 129,877 $ 132,631 

Feature Film Production Asset32

Feature Film Production Assets, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Feature Film Production Assets, Net [Abstract]
Schedule of Feature Film Production Assets	   As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  In release $ 17,845 $ 13,892  Completed but not released 5,862 8,881  In production 3,107 3,387  In development 1,064 977  Total $ 27,878 $ 27,137 

Television Production Assets,33

Television Production Assets, Net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Television Production Assets, Net [Abstract]
Schedule of Television Production Assets	   As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  In release $ 8,182 $ 12,198  In production 1,939 310  Total $ 10,121 $ 12,508 
Amortization of Television Production Assets	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  WWE Network programming $ 2,609 $ 1,333  Television programming 3,007 6,798  Total $ 5,616 $ 8,131 

Investment Securities And Sho34

Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments [Abstract]
Schedule Of Investment Securities	   As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Equity method investment $ 14,693 $ 14,592  Cost method investments 10,403 10,365  Total investment securities $ 25,096 $ 24,957 
Schedule Of Tapout Investment	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Net equity method earnings from Tapout $ 455 $ 422  Net dividends received from Tapout (353) (294)  Equity in earnings of affiliate, net of dividends received $ 102 $ 128 
Schedule of Short-Term Investments Measured at Fair Value	   As of March 31, 2017 As of December 31, 2016  Gross Unrealized Gross Unrealized  Amortized Fair Amortized Fair  Cost Gain (Loss) Value Cost Gain (Loss) Value  Corporate bonds $ 47,900 $ 7 $ (79) $ 47,828 $ 40,183 $ 9 $ (58) $ 40,134  Government securities 35,031 13 (66) 34,978 — — — —  Municipal bonds 22,284 1 (29) 22,256 15,075 — (45) 15,030  Total $ 105,215 $ 21 $ (174) $ 105,062 $ 55,258 $ 9 $ (103) $ 55,164 
Schedule of Contractual Maturities of Short-Term Investment Bonds	   Maturities  Corporate bonds 6 months - 3 years  Government securities 6 months - 5 years  Municipal bonds 1 month - 3 years 
Summary of Short-Term Investment Activity	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Proceeds from maturities and calls of short-term investments $ 11,020 $ —  Purchases of short-term investments $ 61,285 $ — 

Fair Value Measurement (Tables)

Fair Value Measurement (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Fair Value Measurement [Abstract]
Schedule of Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis	   Fair Value at March 31, 2017 Fair Value at December 31, 2016  Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3  Corporate bonds $ 47,828 $ — $ 47,828 $ — $ 40,134 $ — $ 40,134 $ —  Government securities 34,978 — 34,978 — — — — —  Municipal bonds 22,256 — 22,256 — 15,030 — 15,030 —  Total $ 105,062 $ — $ 105,062 $ — $ 55,164 $ — $ 55,164 $ — 
Schedule Of Fair Value Of Debt Instruments	     March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016  Fair Value Carrying Value (1) Fair Value Carrying Value (1)  Convertible senior notes $ 180,406 $ 179,529 $ 166,702 $ 166,050 (1) The carrying value of the convertible debt instrument presented in the table above represents the face value of the convertible note less unamortized debt discount.

Accounts Payable and Accrued 36

Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Accounts Payable And Accrued Expenses [Abstract]
Schedule of Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses	     As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Trade related $ 6,558 $ 10,118  Staff related 6,292 7,494  Management incentive compensation 4,321 21,542  Talent related 4,649 6,969  Accrued WWE Network related expenses 4,347 2,120  Accrued event and television production 7,367 7,031  Accrued legal and professional 7,382 1,952  Accrued purchases of property and equipment 2,443 2,940  Accrued film liability 393 366  Accrued other 11,804 9,828  Total $ 55,556 $ 70,360 

Long-Term Debt And Credit Fac37

Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities [Abstract]
Schedule of Debt	   As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Current portion of long-term debt :  Film Credit Facility $ 2,966 $ 1,583  Aircraft financing 4,563 4,538  Total current portion of long-term debt 7,529 6,121   Long-term debt :  Aircraft financing $ 11,446 $ 12,596  Mortgage 23,000 23,000  Total long-term debt 34,446 35,596   Total $ 41,975 $ 41,717 

Convertible Debt (Tables)

Convertible Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Convertible Debt [Abstract]
Schedule Of Convertible Notes	   As of  March 31, December 31,  2017 2016  Debt component :  Principal $ 215,000 $ 200,000  Less: Unamortized debt discount (35,471) (33,950)  Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs (5,305) (5,042)  Net carrying amount $ 174,224 $ 161,008   Equity component (1) $ 35,547 $ 33,060 (1) Recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within additional paid-in capital, net of the $1,110 issuance costs in equity.
Schedule Of Interest Expense Recognized	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017  3.375% contractual coupon $ 1,790  Amortization of debt discount 1,036  Amortization of debt issuance costs 132  Interest expense $ 2,958 

Film and Television Productio39

Film and Television Production Incentives (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Film And Television Production Incentives [Abstract]
Schedule of Film and Television Production Incentives	   Three Months Ended  March 31,  2017 2016  Television production incentives $ — $ 2,530  Feature film production incentives 460 824  Total $ 460 $ 3,354

Significant Accounting Polici40

Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Excess tax benefits from stock-based payment arrangements		$ 8
Taxes paid related to net settlement upon vesting of equity awards	$ 17	32
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities	$ 14,386	17,288
Scenario, Previously Reported [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Excess tax benefits from stock-based payment arrangements			$ 893	$ 431
Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Taxes paid related to net settlement upon vesting of equity awards		32
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities		$ 32
Tapout [Member]
Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Ownership interest	50.00%

Significant Accounting Polici41

Significant Accounting Policies (Cost of Revenues) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Amortization and impairment of feature film assets	$ 2,731	$ 1,106
Amortization of television production assets	5,616	8,131
Amortization of WWE Network content delivery and technology assets	1,664	1,149
Total amortization and impairment included in cost of revenues	$ 10,011	$ 10,386

Segment Information (Narrative)

Segment Information (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)segment	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | segment	10
Total net revenues	$ 188,444	$ 171,100
United Kingdom [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	$ 15,680	$ 16,876

Segment Information (Summary of

Segment Information (Summary of Financial Information for Reportable Segments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	$ 188,444	$ 171,100
Total OIBDA	10,857	27,591
Network [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	46,470	40,331
Total OIBDA	14,286	15,760
Television [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	64,016	60,719
Total OIBDA	30,834	28,307
Home Entertainment [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	2,432	3,269
Total OIBDA	822	1,544
Digital Media [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	5,735	5,397
Total OIBDA	(505)	(112)
Live Events [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	32,096	25,334
Total OIBDA	8,121	6,085
Licensing [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	20,097	21,042
Total OIBDA	13,394	14,271
Venue Merchandise [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	7,088	5,440
Total OIBDA	2,588	2,065
WWEShop [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	7,921	6,807
Total OIBDA	1,894	1,401
WWE Studios [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	1,282	1,943
Total OIBDA	(2,928)	(437)
Corporate & Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	1,307	818
Total OIBDA	$ (57,649)	$ (41,293)

Segment Information (Reconcilia

Segment Information (Reconciliation of Total Operating (Loss) Income to Total OIBDA) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Information [Abstract]
Total operating income	$ 3,989	$ 22,004
Depreciation and amortization	6,868	5,587
Total OIBDA	$ 10,857	$ 27,591

Segment Information (Schedule o

Segment Information (Schedule of Net Revenues by Major Geographic Region) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	$ 188,444	$ 171,100
North America [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	146,223	130,020
Europe/Middle East/Africa [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	26,585	27,606
Asia Pacific [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	12,974	11,589
Latin America [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total net revenues	$ 2,662	$ 1,885

Earnings Per Share (Narrative)

Earnings Per Share (Narrative) (Details)	Mar. 31, 2017$ / shares
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Conversion price	$ 24.91

Earnings Per Share (Schedule of

Earnings Per Share (Schedule of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share) (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income	$ 888	$ 13,885
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding	76,441	75,937
Dilutive effect of restricted and performance stock units	1,737	1,156
Dilutive effect of employee share purchase plan	3	2
Weighted average dilutive common shares outstanding	78,181	77,095
Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted	$ 0.01	$ 0.18
Anti-dilutive outstanding restricted and performance stock units (excluded from per-share calculations)	557	511

Stock-Based Compensation (Narra

Stock-Based Compensation (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation expense	$ 6,615	$ 3,160
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Requisite service period	3 years 6 months
Awards granted	311,891
Performance Stock Units (PSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Requisite service period	3 years 6 months
Awards granted	550,460		956,730
Increase in units	282,662

Stock-Based Compensation (Summa

Stock-Based Compensation (Summary of RSU Activity) (Details) - Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Units, Unvested at January 1, 2017 | shares	356,761
Units, Granted | shares	311,891
Units, Vested | shares	(2,253)
Units, Forfeited | shares	(18,473)
Units, Dividend equivalents | shares	3,507
Units, Unvested at March 31, 2017 | shares	651,433
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Unvested at January 1, 2017 | $ / shares	$ 16.68
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Granted | $ / shares	19.43
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Vested | $ / shares	18.03
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Forfeited | $ / shares	16.35
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Dividend equivalents | $ / shares	18.01
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Unvested at March 31, 2017 | $ / shares	$ 18.01

Stock-Based Compensation (Sum50

Stock-Based Compensation (Summary of PSU Activity) (Details) - Performance Stock Units (PSUs) [Member] - $ / shares	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Units, Unvested at January 1, 2017	2,161,311
Units, Granted	550,460	956,730
Units, Achievement adjustment	282,662
Units, Forfeited	(5,879)
Units, Dividend equivalents	13,196
Units, Unvested at March 31, 2017	3,001,750	2,161,311
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Unvested at January 1, 2017	$ 16.39
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Granted	22.22
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Achievement adjustment	20.96
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Forfeited	20.96
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Dividend equivalents	17.87
Weighted-Average Grant-Date Fair Value, Unvested at March 31, 2017	$ 18.67	$ 16.39

Property And Equipment (Narrati

Property And Equipment (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Property And Equipment [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ 6,429	$ 5,281

Property And Equipment (Schedul

Property And Equipment (Schedule of Property and Equipment) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross	$ 299,645	$ 297,965
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(169,768)	(165,334)
Total	129,877	132,631
Land, Buildings And Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross	131,786	130,330
Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross	136,338	136,114
Corporate Aircraft [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross	31,277	31,277
Vehicles [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Gross	$ 244	$ 244

Feature Film Production Asset53

Feature Film Production Assets, Net (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)item	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Future amortization expense, percentage, within twelve months	34.00%
Future amortization expense, percentage, one through three years	67.00%
Future amortization expense, percentage, one through four years	80.00%
Amortization of feature film production assets | $	$ 653,000	$ 1,106,000
Number of feature films	1
Number of films direct to DVD	2
Total number of films	3
Theatrical film costs released during period | $	$ 5,517,000
Number of theatrical films completed but not released	5
Number of theatrical films in production	2
Asset impairment charges | $	$ 0	0
Feature Film Production Assets [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges | $	$ 2,078,000	$ 0

Feature Film Production Asset54

Feature Film Production Assets, Net (Schedule of Feature Film Production Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Feature Film Production Assets, Net [Abstract]
In release	$ 17,845	$ 13,892
Completed but not released	5,862	8,881
In production	3,107	3,387
In development	1,064	977
Total	$ 27,878	$ 27,137

Television Production Assets,55

Television Production Assets, Net (Schedule of Television Production Assets) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Television Production Assets, Net [Abstract]
In release	$ 8,182	$ 12,198
In production	1,939	310
Total	$ 10,121	$ 12,508

Television Production Assets,56

Television Production Assets, Net (Amortization of Television Production Assets) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization	$ 653,000	$ 1,106,000
Asset impairment charges	0	0
Television Production Assets [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization	5,616,000	8,131,000
Asset impairment charges	0	0
Television Production Assets [Member] | Network [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization	2,609,000	1,333,000
Television Production Assets [Member] | Television [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization	$ 3,007,000	$ 6,798,000

Investment Securities and Sho57

Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Investment [Line Items]
Impairment charge	$ 0	$ 0
Deferred revenue, current	68,978		$ 56,653
Deferred revenue, noncurrent	$ 26,475		$ 30,697
Tapout [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Duration of joint venture	5 years
Ownership interest	50.00%
Interest in Tapout	$ 13,800
Investment revenue	722	$ 758
Deferred revenue	7,755
Deferred revenue, current	2,760
Deferred revenue, noncurrent	4,995
Tapout [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Investment [Line Items]
Maximum exposure to loss	$ 7,755

Investment Securities and Sho58

Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments (Schedule Of Investment Securities ) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments [Abstract]
Equity method investment	$ 14,693	$ 14,592
Cost method investments	10,403	10,365
Total investment securities	$ 25,096	$ 24,957

Investment Securities and Sho59

Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments (Schedule Of Tapout Investment ) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Equity in earnings of affiliate, net of dividends received	$ 102	$ 128
Tapout [Member]
Schedule of Investments [Line Items]
Net equity method earnings from Tapout	455	422
Net dividends received from Tapout	(353)	(294)
Equity in earnings of affiliate, net of dividends received	$ 102	$ 128

Investment Securities and Sho60

Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments (Schedule of Short-Term Investments Measured at Fair Value) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	$ 105,215	$ 55,258
Gross Unrealized Gain	21	9
Gross Unrealized (Loss)	(174)	(103)
Fair Value	105,062	55,164
Corporate Bonds [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	47,900	40,183
Gross Unrealized Gain	7	9
Gross Unrealized (Loss)	(79)	(58)
Fair Value	47,828	40,134
Government Securities [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	35,031
Gross Unrealized Gain	13
Gross Unrealized (Loss)	(66)
Fair Value	34,978
Municipal Bonds [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	22,284	15,075
Gross Unrealized Gain	1
Gross Unrealized (Loss)	(29)	(45)
Fair Value	$ 22,256	$ 15,030

Investment Securities and Sho61

Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments (Schedule of Contractual Maturities of Short-Term Investment Bonds) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Corporate Bonds [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Contractual maturities of bonds	6 months
Corporate Bonds [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Contractual maturities of bonds	3 years
Government Securities [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Contractual maturities of bonds	6 months
Government Securities [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Contractual maturities of bonds	5 years
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Contractual maturities of bonds	1 month
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Contractual maturities of bonds	3 years

Investment Securities and Sho62

Investment Securities and Short-Term Investments (Summary of Short-Term Investment Activity) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Investment Securities And Short-Term Investments [Abstract]
Proceeds from maturities and calls of short-term investments	$ 11,020
Purchases of short-term investments	$ 61,285

Fair Value Measurement (Narrati

Fair Value Measurement (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Impairment charge	$ 0	$ 0
Asset impairment charges	$ 0	0
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Effective rate	6.40%
Feature Film Production Assets [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	$ 2,078,000	0
Fair value of assets	$ 2,237,000
Discount rate	13.00%
Mobile Video Publishing Business [Member]
Fair Value Inputs, Assets, Quantitative Information [Line Items]
Asset impairment charges	$ 0	$ 0

Fair Value Measurement (Schedul

Fair Value Measurement (Schedule of Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	$ 105,062	$ 55,164
Recurring [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	105,062	55,164
Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	105,062	55,164
Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Corporate Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	47,828	40,134
Corporate Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	47,828	40,134
Corporate Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Corporate Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	47,828	40,134
Corporate Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Government Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	34,978
Government Securities [Member] | Recurring [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	34,978
Government Securities [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Government Securities [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	34,978
Government Securities [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Municipal Bonds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	22,256	15,030
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	22,256	15,030
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 1 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 2 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	22,256	15,030
Municipal Bonds [Member] | Recurring [Member] | Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities

Fair Value Measurement (Sched65

Fair Value Measurement (Schedule Of Fair Value Of Debt Instruments) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Convertible senior notes		$ 180,406	$ 166,702
Carrying Value [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Convertible senior notes	[1]	$ 179,529	$ 166,050
[1]	The carrying value of the convertible debt instrument presented in the table above represents the face value of the convertible note less unamortized debt discount.

Accounts Payable And Accrued 66

Accounts Payable And Accrued Expenses (Schedule of Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounts Payable And Accrued Expenses [Abstract]
Trade related	$ 6,558	$ 10,118
Staff related	6,292	7,494
Management incentive compensation	4,321	21,542
Talent related	4,649	6,969
Accrued WWE Network related expenses	4,347	2,120
Accrued event and television production	7,367	7,031
Accrued legal and professional	7,382	1,952
Accrued purchases of property and equipment	2,443	2,940
Accrued film liability	393	366
Accrued other	11,804	9,828
Total	$ 55,556	$ 70,360
Individual accrual categories percentage of current liabilities	5.00%

Long-Term Debt And Credit Fac67

Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)item	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Mortgage [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount	$ 23,000,000
Interest rate	4.50%
Monthly installments, interest only	$ 86,000
Monthly installments, interest and principal	$ 117,000
Maturity date	Jul. 1, 2025
Aircraft Financing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal amount	$ 31,568,000
Interest rate	2.18%
Monthly installments, interest and principal	$ 406,000
Maturity date	Aug. 7, 2020
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility borrowing capacity	$ 100,000,000
Credit Facility amount outstanding	$ 0	$ 0
Credit Facility interest rate	2.40%
Credit Facility unutilized commitment fee rate	0.25%
Credit Facility maturity date	Jul. 29, 2021
Film Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Number of domestic subsidiaries | item	2
Credit Facility borrowing capacity	$ 35,000,000
Credit Facility amount outstanding	$ 2,966,000
Credit Facility term	5 years
Credit Facility unutilized commitment fee rate	0.50%
Credit Facility available debt capacity	$ 7,625,000
Film Credit Facility [Member] | LIBOR [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility variable rate	2.50%
Credit Facility interest rate	3.65%
Film Credit Facility [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility variable rate	1.50%

Long-Term Debt And Credit Fac68

Long-Term Debt And Credit Facilities (Schedule Of Debt) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of long-term debt	$ 7,529	$ 6,121
Long-term debt	34,446	35,596
Debt	41,975	41,717
Film Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of long-term debt	2,966	1,583
Aircraft Financing [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of long-term debt	4,563	4,538
Long-term debt	11,446	12,596
Mortgage [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt	$ 23,000	$ 23,000

Convertible Debt (Narrative) (D

Convertible Debt (Narrative) (Details)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)item$ / sharesshares	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)shares
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Purchase of convertible note hedge	$ 2,558,000
Proceeds from issuance of warrants	$ 1,460,000
Warrant strike price | $ / shares	$ 31.89
Percentage of warrant strike price in excess of stock price	60.00%
Share Price | $ / shares	$ 19.93
Initial Purchasers [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Purchase of convertible note hedge		$ 34,100,000
Proceeds from issuance of warrants		$ 19,460,000
Convertible note hedge, shares covered by hedge | shares	8,030,000
Shares issuable under warrant agreement | shares		8,030,000
Over-Allotment Option Exercise [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Purchase of convertible note hedge	$ 2,558,000
Proceeds from issuance of warrants	$ 1,460,000
Convertible note hedge, shares covered by hedge | shares	602,107
Shares issuable under warrant agreement | shares	602,107
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.375%
Effective rate	6.40%
Conversion ratio, shares	40.1405
Conversion price | $ / shares	$ 24.91
Non-cash interest expense, debt component	$ 5,454,000
Non-cash interest expense, equity component	1,110,000	$ 1,110,000
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member] | Initial Purchasers [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Convertible debt authorized for issuance		$ 200,000,000
Interest rate		3.375%
Maturity date		Jun. 15, 2023
Proceeds from private placement		$ 193,899,000
Purchase of convertible note hedge	$ 34,100,000
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member] | Over-Allotment Option Exercise [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt purchase option period		30 days
Convertible debt authorized for issuance		$ 30,000,000
Maturity date	Dec. 15, 2023
Principal amount	$ 15,000,000
Proceeds from private placement	14,534,000
Purchase of convertible note hedge	$ 2,558,000
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member] | Conversion Scenario 1 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Threshold within consecutive trading days | item	20
Threshold of consecutive trading days | item	30
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member] | Conversion Scenario 1 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stock price trigger percent	130.00%
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member] | Conversion Scenario 2 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Threshold within consecutive trading days | item	5
Threshold of consecutive trading days | item	10
Threshold percentage of stock price and conversion rate	98.00%

Convertible Debt (Schedule Of C

Convertible Debt (Schedule Of Convertible Notes) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt		$ 41,975	$ 41,717
3.375% Convertible Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Principal		215,000	200,000
Less: Unamortized debt discount		(35,471)	(33,950)
Less: Unamortized debt issuance costs		(5,305)	(5,042)
Debt		174,224	161,008
Equity component	[1]	35,547	33,060
Non-cash interest expense, equity component		$ 1,110	$ 1,110
[1]	Recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within additional paid-in capital, net of the $1,110 issuance costs in equity.

Convertible Debt (Schedule Of I

Convertible Debt (Schedule Of Interest Expense Recognized) (Details) - 3.375% Convertible Notes [Member] $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
3.375% contractual coupon	$ 1,790
Amortization of debt discount	1,036
Amortization of debt issuance costs	132
Interest expense	$ 2,958
Interest rate	3.375%

Concentration Of Credit Risk (D

Concentration Of Credit Risk (Details) - customer	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, number of customers	3	2
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Accounts Receivable [Member] | Customer One [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	20.00%	17.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Accounts Receivable [Member] | Customer Two [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	14.00%	15.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Accounts Receivable [Member] | Customer Three [Member]
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk, percentage	14.00%

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Detai

Income Taxes (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Deferred tax assets, net, included in non-current assets	$ 32,512	$ 32,556

Film And Television Productio74

Film And Television Production Incentives (Schedule of Film and Television Production Incentives) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Film And Television Production Incentives [Abstract]
Television production incentives		$ 2,530
Feature film production incentives	$ 460	824
Total	$ 460	$ 3,354