WWE announced that USA Network will broadcast SmackDown starting in 2024. That new five-year deal will likely cause RAW to find a new network, and that could be a bit of a shock for fans. Moving RAW off Mondays could be an even bigger shock.
Last month, Endeavor officially completed the merger between the UFC and WWE, resulting in the creation of a new publicly traded company called TKO Group Holdings. Many aspects of the company changed, but the plan is to maintain separate media rights deals for WWE and UFC.
The week following the merger’s completion, it was disclosed that TKO had reached an agreement to move SmackDown from FOX back to the USA Network, with the shift set for October 2024. This decision was made after signing a five-year deal between WWE and NBCUniversal.
Endeavor and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel discussed the deal during Bloomberg’s Screentime conference. He said that WWE is very open to the idea of moving RAW’s night of the week, if the deal calls for it.
“So, you cannot undervalue the WWE and UFC for the following reasons: One, we do not have a season. One of the biggest issues that will happen with s-mods and networks is churn. We’re 52 weeks a year, right? And we’re flexible. You want us Thursday night? You want us Tuesday night? I don’t have any of those scheduling issues and that churn issue because we’re the full year. It’s so much different than any other sport because then people churn out. That’s one of the issues with sports. Not in a bad way… and then the package is over and then you leave. We do not have that. Our fans are loyal, they stick around and they move.”
WWE obviously has interest in RAW and WWE NXT, although those deals have not been announced yet. Ari Emanuel could also be preparing WWE fans for a big change in their weekly viewing routine, because Monday may not be the home of RAW anymore when everything is said and done.
For more on this ongoing story, and so many more, please stay tuned with us here at Ringside News. You never know what can happen, and that is very true in this day and age.
What night of the week should WWE move RAW to? Does Thursday Night RAW have a nice ring to it? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
Felix Upton is a seasoned writer with over 30 years of experience. He began his career writing advertisements for local newspapers in New York before transitioning to publishing news for Ringside News. His expertise includes writing, editing, research, photo editing, and video editing. In his free time, he enjoys bungee jumping and learning extinct languages.
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