Fox and WWE Close Five-Year Deal to Bring SmackDown to Network

June 27, 2018 David Gonzalez Film News, Reel Talk Inc Comments Off on Fox and WWE Close Five-Year Deal to Bring SmackDown to Network

After being announced last month, the deal has become official and Fox will officially be the new home of WWE SmackDown, the network announced Tuesday.

The new five-year agreement will begin on October 4, 2019 and will give Fox two hours of live event programming 52 weeks each year. The deal will move the popular show to Friday nights.As previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the new deal is worth $205 annually, and $1.025 billion the entire length of the contract.

President of FOX Sports Eric Shanks commented on the deal stating,

“At Fox we are thrilled to welcome WWE to the FOX Sports family and bring SmackDown Live to broadcast television,”  “We are huge fans and know that together FOX Sports will be the leader in live events for the foreseeable future.”

WWE Chairman & CEO, Vince McMahon added,

 “Fox and WWE are a perfect match. Moving SmackDown Live to broadcast TV and having the ability to leverage FOX’s extensive portfolio of world-class sporting events will expand the reach of our flagship programming.”

The move for Fox fills up its Friday nights for the next 5 years.


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About David Gonzalez 3061 Articles
David Gonzalez is the founder and chief film critic of Reel Talk Inc. and host of the Reel Chronicles and Chop Talk (80s horror) podcasts. As a Cuban American independent film critic, David writes fair and diverse criticism covering movies of all genres and spotlighting minority voices through Reel Talk. David has covered and reviewed films at Tribeca, TIFF, NYFF, Sundance, SXSW, and several other film festivals. He is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved Critic and a member of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA), New York Film Critics Online, Hollywood Film Critics Association, and the North American Film Critic Association. As an avid film collector and awards watcher, David's finger is always on the industry's pulse. David informs and educates with knowledgeable and exciting content and has become a trusted resource for readers and listeners alike. Email him at david@reeltalkinc.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @reeltalkinc.
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