wwe got extreme championship wrestling and its video library in 2003 and later began reintroducing ecw through a series of dvds and books. the big popularity of ecw merchandise prompted wwe to organize ecw one night stand, an ecw reunion pay-per-view in 2005. the financial and critical success of the event encourages wwe to start a second one night stand the next year. with rejuvenated interest in the ecw product, wwe began exploring the possibility of reviving the promotion full-time. on may 26, 2006, wwe announced the launch of ecw as a stand-alone brand, congruous to raw and smackdown!, with its own show on the sci fi channel. despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by the sci fi channel's demographic, network president bonnie hammer said that she believed ecw would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination". sci fi channel is owned by nbc universal, parent company of usa network and exclusive cable broadcaster of wwe programming.