Fox and WWE Close To A Five-Year, $1 Billion Deal for SmackDown

May 22, 2018 David Gonzalez Film News, Reel Talk Inc Comments Off on Fox and WWE Close To A Five-Year, $1 Billion Deal for SmackDown

As an avid fan of professional wrestling, I have been paying attention to WWE’s negotiations over the past few weeks. News of Smackdown heading to a new network escalated after NBC Universal did not pick up the option on the long running show.

With the show looking for a home, news broke that Fox will be the new home of WWE’s SmackDown Live in what is looked as a huge new five-year deal worth more than $1 billion. The new deal, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter is nearing completion and is worth $205 million yearly, is expected to begin in October 2019 as the fall tv season commences.

The deal would split WWE programming rights with NBC, which is expected to retain Raw. SmackDown is averaging 2.59 million viewers a week so far this year, while Raw is pulling about 3 million. Both programs currently air on USA and are two of the biggest shows on the USA Network. USA will now look to fill the void left by Smackdown starting in 2019.


Like this story? Follow Reel Talk Inc. on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily news and reviews, and sign up for our email newsletter here.
Podchaser - Reel Chronicles
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.
Website Facebook Instagram Twitter

Related Articles