The reported financial details for WWE SmackDown’s deal with the USA Network have been revealed.
According to reports from CNBC and the Wall Street Journal, WWE has announced a significant five-year rights deal with USA Network to bring SmackDown to the network starting in October 2024. The deal is estimated to be worth an average of $287 million per year, with a total value of $1.435 billion over the course of five years. This move comes as part of a broader strategy by NBCUniversal to bring live sports to its networks.
Frances Berwick, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating:
It’s a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU’s decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Network’s consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership. With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we’ll continue to use the power of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase.
Currently, WWE SmackDown airs on FOX and will continue to do so until October 2024. The show had previously aired on USA Network from 2016 to 2019 before moving to FOX.
What Are The Latest Ratings For WWE SmackDown?
On the September 15th episode of WWE SmackDown the iconic wrestling and Hollywood figure, The Rock made his return to a WWE ring. This return delivered massive viewership numbers for the show with a total average viewership of 2.569 million, up from the previous week’s 2.084 million.
The key demographic for SmackDown was also improved as the show drew in 834,000 viewers, totalling a 0.70 P18-49 rating. In comparison to the September 8 episode which had a 0.50 P18-49 rating.
With WWE yet to finalise a deal for Raw, a reported asking price has been revealed.
H/t to Fightful.com