Report: WWE Reaches Deal With Fox To Air Smackdown In 2019, Worth $1 Billion, Maybe Moving To Fridays

Smackdown may have a brand spanking new area next 12 months.

As reported thru ESPN, Fox and WWE have reached a "massive" deal to air Smackdown. WWE has been searching for a brand spanking new neighborhood to air each and every Smackdown and Raw and there have been talks of bringing each and every to NBC on the other hand in keeping with the file NBC Universal is thinking about Monday Night Raw.

Even even if ratings for Smackdown have been declining given that Superstar Shakeup, WWE programming is with regards to always inside essentially the most good five cable unique presentations 12 months round on Monday and Tuesdays. The live facet and sports activities actions similar nature of Smackdown has helped support those ratings and is easiest pushed down the ratings thru live sports activities actions playoffs.

The file mentioned the Smackdown deal is able to get started in October of 2019.

In every other file thru The Wrap, it was once as soon as mentioned Smackdown will also be broadcast on Fridays and on Fox instead of the rumored Fox Sports.

That was once as soon as hardly ever the ultimate of the news, as The Hollywood Reporter would later file that the deal in question was once as soon as a five-year agreement worth over $1 billion. WWE's stock hit an al-time high on Monday after knowledge of the possible switch broke.

Smackdown has been on five networks as it debuted on UPN in 1999 on the other hand has not been on a Fox owned neighborhood in the past. Raw has easiest ever been on Spike TV (often referred to as TNN) and USA Network. It has appeared on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays right through its run, on the other hand has been live during their Tuesday night airings.

Fightful Wrestling has live coverage and a recapping podcast each week for Smackdown and a switch to Fox would not affect the security.