Next year, WWE’s programming rights contracts for RAW, NXT, and SmackDown will expire. RAW and NXT currently air on the USA Network, while SmackDown airs on FOX.
All three contracts expire in the Fall of 2024. Today, WWE announced that they will be leaving FOX after signing a five-year deal to bring SmackDown back to the USA Network beginning in October 2024. The blue brand will remain on the network until 2029.
Additionally, the announcement stated that WWE will produce “four primetime specials per year” that will air on NBC. You can check out the complete announcement by clicking here.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “While the new deal will bring WWE to NBC primetime and SmackDown to USA on Friday nights, it will also mean the end of Raw and NXT on USA. A source familiar with the Raw discussions tell The Hollywood Reporter that the market for the program is ‘extremely active,’ with traditional linear networks, streaming services and ‘unexpected players’ all interested.”
John Ourand of Sports Business Journal stated that “NBCU is considered a front-runner to renew its ‘Raw’ deal.”
John Ourand of Sports Business Journal however says "NBCU is considered a front-runner to renew its 'Raw' deal."
There's also interest from Disney and Amazon, and Raw could move off of Monday night as part of a new deal.https://t.co/MiSL1yxw3D
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) September 21, 2023
