WWE ‘SmackDown’ Leaving Fox for USA Next Year, as ‘Raw’ Hits the Market
www.hollywoodreporter.com
In addition, the WWE will produce four primetime specials for the NBC broadcast network.

The article also mentions that Raw is still on the market (so USA might get Smackdown but lose Raw) and that there will be four annual specials on NBC

  • I'm A Different Bird@midwest.socialOPEnglish
    0·
    10 months ago

    I would guess it means that USA passed on Raw and NXT. They would likely have first refusal on them, after all, since they already air those shows. Perhaps TKO wanted more money for that package than they wanted for Smackdown?

    Either way, I would guess that the sheer inertia of having the same show in the same time slot would be a big point in favor of keeping Raw rather than dumping it for Smackdown. But then, I’m not a network exec.

    • cupcakezealot@kbin.social
      2·
      10 months ago

      It’s a big yikes if that’s the case. NBC overpaid for sure, especially if they’re moving it off of broadcast back to cable. If they’re expecting the same ratings, they’re gonna be disappointed.