• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Fox reaches agreement to air WWE's 'SmackDown Live' (Update: 5 Years, 1 Billion Dollars)

SeanM

SeanM

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,432
USA
via ESPN:

WWE has agreed in principle to make Fox the new home of "SmackDown Live," after the network came to WWE with what sources described as a "massive" offer.

Specific terms, beyond the fact that the deal will begin in October 2019, are unknown at this time.

A representative for WWE declined to comment. A Fox spokesperson could not immediately be reached.

As first reported by the Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, NBC Universal declined its right of first refusal to hit the numbers that WWE proposed on "SmackDown." NBC instead focused its efforts on "Monday Night Raw."

With live TV viewed as a prized commodity in the era of DVR and on-demand and "SmackDown Live" straddling the worlds of scripted and sports TV, Fox greatly valued the opportunity to pursue one of WWE's signature programs.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Airing on Fridays according to TheWrap.

The popular pro-wrestling show will air there on Fridays, a person with knowledge of the deal told us.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Hollywood Reporter says it's a five year deal worth $1 billion(!!):

Fox will be the anticipated home of WWE SmackDown Live in a massive new five-year deal worth more than $1 billion, sources close to the negotiations tell The Hollywood Reporter. The new deal, which is nearing completion and is worth $205 million annually, is expected to begin in October 2019, and will mark a three-fold increase over what NBCUniversal is currently paying WWE to air SmackDown on its USA network.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Last edited:
Tagyhag

Tagyhag

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,497
So what does this mean, SD will continue to be 2 hours while RAW stays at 3 as well?
 

Deleted member 42

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 24, 2017
16,939
This is really weird.

USA airing RAW, tripled their deal to keep it

Fox airing Smackdown, made a ridiculous offer to grab it
 

Shroki

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,911
For all the noise people make about their rating swings, WWE offers 2 multi-hour shows with virtually no network overhead, 52 weeks out of the year. Their TV deal has always been under-valued.
 
Tom Nook

Tom Nook

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
15,789
There it is.

Hope the WWE will do the brand split right. RAW and SDL are in different networks that are competing.
 
RBH

RBH

Official ERA expert on Third Party Football
Member
Nov 2, 2017
32,911
I wonder if it means SmackDown will air on FOX or FS1.
 
klonere

klonere

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,439
Proof that the WWE is actually incredibly successful and is very entertaining to many people, just not the few mean-spirited trolls on this website who constantly play down the rich creative tapestry that is WWE TV.

This is an unprecedented deal in wrestling, meaning the WWE won't have to really worry about PPVs, special events, even merch. Their creative genius has allowed them a position of total flexibility and freedom to do anything they want, and I'm sure a few of the regular nay-sayers will come in here moaning that their favorite short, indie darling isn't being used in the correct manner or something like that.
 
Penguin

Penguin

The Mushroom Kingdom Knight
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,218
New York
I am curious to see the actual fallout for this

Will WWE be forced to treat SmackDown and Raw as equals. Will there be less cross-brand promotion from overhead.

What will the rosters look like next year
 
hitme

hitme

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,909
giphy.gif
 
Big-E

Big-E

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,169
Smackdown now the A show? Its got to eventually pull better numbers and money than RAW right? Or is this shit tonne of money is in relation to the B status of Smackdown?
 
Bronx-Man

Bronx-Man

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,351
klonere said:
Proof that the WWE is actually incredibly successful and is very entertaining to many people, just not the few mean-spirited trolls on this website who constantly play down the rich creative tapestry that is WWE TV.

This is an unprecedented deal in wrestling, meaning the WWE won't have to really worry about PPVs, special events, even merch. Their creative genius has allowed them a position of total flexibility and freedom to do anything they want, and I'm sure a few of the regular nay-sayers will come in here moaning that their favorite short, indie darling isn't being used in the correct manner or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Is this a Sunny impression
 
The Silver

The Silver

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,719
What, if Raw doesn't also move than Smackdown just jumped up to the A show.
Time for the Big Dog to move to Big Blue.
 
ElectricBlanketFire

ElectricBlanketFire

What year is this?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,854
klonere said:
Proof that the WWE is actually incredibly successful and is very entertaining to many people, just not the few mean-spirited trolls on this website who constantly play down the rich creative tapestry that is WWE TV.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Wrestling is incredibly popular on this board. It has some of the biggest threads and a huge monthly Community OT.
 
plagiarize

plagiarize

It's not a loop. It's a spiral.
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
27,545
Cape Cod, MA
Big-E said:
Smackdown now the A show? Its got to eventually pull better numbers and money than RAW right? Or is this shit tonne of money is in relation to the B status of Smackdown?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That depends on how much they try to make it like RAW.

Leave the talent they've got in place, I can't see RAW's figures staying on top.

ElectricBlanketFire said:
Wrestling is incredibly popular on this board. It has some of the biggest threads and a huge monthly Community OT.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

A bunch of us mods love it too. We're sort of the text book 'liberals like wrestling' thing.
 

Shroki

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,911
Sephzilla said:
Does NBC think USA is going to collapse without Raw?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

NBC knows that Raw is (probably) more profitable for them than anything else on USA, and drives viewers to the channel year-round.

Shareholders felt that the last deal with NBC was very under-value IIRC. So this was always coming once a player like Fox came in to drive the negotiation.
 
Welfare

Welfare

Prophet of Truth - You’re my Numberwall
Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,914
What's that WrestleGAF meme? #5years?

Lol 5 years of laughing to the bank.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,029
Actually kind of glad for this. Hoping it leads to some pressure to book smartly. WWE have controlled USA and their other networks for years, often being the biggest draws on otherwise shitty, underperforming networks with the same sponsors... So hopefully there's some pressure here to improve the booking product. THey have so much talent in the ring these days, just gotta make better use of it in storylines.
 
Bronx-Man

Bronx-Man

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,351
So SmackDown is moving back to the Friday deathslot and Raw is still three hours.



Yaaaaaaay?
 
Serene

Serene

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
52,532
If it is on broadcast Fox, then yeah it cannot be three hours
 
klonere

klonere

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,439
ElectricBlanketFire said:
Wrestling is incredibly popular on this board. It has some of the biggest threads and a huge monthly Community OT.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yes and some of those people are smart enough to realize what a great product the WWE put out on a weekly basis.

Others are just so focused on the perceived negatives, the talking points that get churned up and repeated every single week, mostly by the same people who despite their protestations, can't stop watching.

See you next week, as they say!
 
Cordy

Cordy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,348
Enough time for Roman to win the Universal Title, lose it, still not be over and then to go to SDL for "a fresh start still as a face."

SDL is gonna be the new A show.
 
Bigkrev

Bigkrev

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,314
Sephzilla said:
Does NBC think USA is going to collapse without Raw?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Look at the what shows USA has. It's Mr Robot, a bunch of horrific looking reality shows, and Raw. It's been a while since they had shows like Psyce, Burn Notice, Monk, etc. If they loose Raw, they fall from the top 5 networks into something like the 10-20 range. While wrestling does terrible advertising rates, it raises the value of ads on other shows because the 3 hours of 3ish million people they get each monday boosts the channel's average ratings
 
klonere

klonere

Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,439
The Albatross said:
Actually kind of glad for this. Hoping it leads to some pressure to book smartly. WWE have controlled USA and their other networks for years, often being the biggest draws on otherwise shitty, underperforming networks with the same sponsors... So hopefully there's some pressure here to improve the booking product. THey have so much talent in the ring these days, just gotta make better use of it in storylines.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Are you kidding me this is an affirmation that whatever they've been doing is 100% in the right and they shouldn't change a thing. You don't sign a gigantic broadcast TV deal with a company famed for providing a product that requires little network input/overhead and then charge in demanding changes.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
39,029
klonere said:
Yes and some of those people are smart enough to realize what a great product the WWE put out on a weekly basis.

Others are just so focused on the perceived negatives, the talking points that get churned up and repeated every single week, mostly by the same people who despite their protestations, can't stop watching.

See you next week, as they say!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Is this wrasslegaf satire because it's honestly too nuanced for me, a layman, to tell

klonere said:
Are you kidding me this is an affirmation that whatever they've been doing is 100% in the right and they shouldn't change a thing. You don't sign a gigantic broadcast TV deal with a company famed for providing a product that requires little network input/overhead and then charge in demanding changes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

But on real networks you actually have to answer to someone who is more powerful and influential than you if your product does poorly in specific key timespots. Where as pro wrestling has historically always partnered with networks like USA, TNN, Spike, Turner, and cable networks who needed to fill up time, and wrestling was their biggest weekly draw. Wrestling won't be the biggest weekly draw for Fox, and so if the shows underperform then the producers actually have to work to improve the product because they have real sponsors who they need to please.

I think it's a good thing for WWE, that it'll make it a better pro wrestling product.
 
Last edited:
THE GUY

THE GUY

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,223
Big-E said:
Smackdown now the A show? Its got to eventually pull better numbers and money than RAW right? Or is this shit tonne of money is in relation to the B status of Smackdown?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Smackdown will never be the A show. Even their attendance is bad compared to Raw. There is an ingrained image of the brand and that's not something you can just change.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.