The deals have been officially announced.
Last month it was reported that FOX and WWE came to an agreement on a "massive deal" to air 'SmackDown Live' on their network. The deal entailed that FOX would be taking the blue-brand exclusive show under their banner in the fall of 2019 for a total of $1 billion over the course of five years. WWE had yet to confirm or deny the reported deal but today the sports-entertainment company did just that as they announced over their website that the deal has been made official and their weekly-show 'SmackDown Live' will be moving to FOX beginning on October 9th in 2019 and the show will remain two hours long.
The following is the press release by way of WWE.com which features a comment from the Chairman Vince McMahon himself and details regarding 'SmackDown Live's' move to FOX.
NEW YORK and STAMFORD, Conn., June 26, 2018 – For the first time, every Friday night beginning October 4, 2019, FOX broadcast network will air WWE’s flagship program SmackDown LIVE as part of a new five-year agreement with FOX Sports. The weekly, two-hour live event will air 52 weeks a year and captivate fans with a unique combination of edge-of-your-seat action, unpredictable drama and world-class athleticism.
“At FOX we are thrilled to welcome WWE to the FOX Sports family and bring SmackDown LIVE to broadcast television,” said Eric Shanks, President, COO and Executive Producer FOX Sports. “We are huge fans and know that together FOX Sports will be the leader in live events for the foreseeable future.”
“WWE and FOX are a perfect match,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “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.”
SmackDown LIVE is a consistent winner on television, currently averaging 1 1.3M P18-49, 1.3M P25-54 and 3M total viewers P2+.
On air for almost 20 years and nearly 1,000 episodes, SmackDown LIVE is the second-longest running weekly episodic cable television show in U.S. primetime history, only behind Monday Night Raw. SmackDown Live is currently among the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on primetime cable and delivers more viewers in primetime than any cable network in the U.S. (2.9 million average viewers).
SmackDown LIVE has also helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Bella Twins."
The sports-entertainment company also confirmed another report that had to do with WWE agreeing to a deal with NBCUniversal to continue airing their flagship show Monday Night RAW on the USA Network. The deal was reportedly noted to be worth $265 million per year from NBCUniversal and in the press release from WWE on their official website, it was noted that they have agreed to a five-year deal with the USA Network and the new agreement will kick-start in October of 2019 with Monday Night RAW remaining at three-hours.
NEW YORK and STAMFORD, Conn. – USA Network and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced a five-year extension for WWE’s flagship program Monday Night Raw. The new agreement for the live, weekly three-hour block which commences in October 2019 continues WWE and USA’s nearly three decade-long relationship. Monday Night Raw, the No. 1 show on USA Network, delivers action, drama, compelling storylines and unmatched athleticism, 52 weeks per year.
“Monday Night Raw and USA Network have dominated Monday nights during a truly historic run,” Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainmentt, said. “Our partnership with WWE is one of the strongest and most successful in the business, and together we’ll take Raw to even greater heights.”
“We look forward to continuing our long-standing partnership with NBCUniversal and USA Network,” WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon said. “Monday Night Raw has been synonymous with USA Network and we are excited about what the future holds for WWE’s flagship program.”
On the air for 25 years and more than 1300 episodes, Monday Night Raw is the longest-running weekly episodic television show in U.S. primetime history and consistently a ratings juggernaut. Among the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on primetime cable, Raw delivers more viewers in the U.S. than all sports other than the NFL.
Since its debut in 1993 on USA, Raw has been watched nearly 6 billion times in the U.S. alone. In its 25-year history, Raw has helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Bella Twins."
To read up on the initial report from the TV deal concerning SmackDown Live, click here, and to take a look at the report regarding RAW's TV deal, click here.
