Over 30 million households less…

With time, the WWE is going to shift their top superstars and resources to ensure that the Netflix version of Monday Night RAW (or whatever night it appears) will be the #1 show and Smackdown will become the B-Show. 30 million+ less households will do that, plus Netflix is the bigger buyer of the WWE content and is available to 84 million subscribers but with an even larger global outreach. Furthermore, USA Networks is only going to lose subscribers with time.

So let’s look back on the 5-year WWE Smackdown that was on FOX… Was it worth going to Network Television even though it was on Friday Night?

As a FYI, this idea for a column has been in my head since the fine folks of NoDQ Review discussed the impact of WWE Smackdown being on FOX for the past 5 years. Also, Aaron Rift, owner of NoDQ, posted a question on his Twitter about how Smackdown could change with its move to USA Network (which I answered above). Just giving credit for the column idea where it is due…

Initially when WWE Smackdown moved to FOX starting during the Fall of 2019, I initially had worries. Yes, the allure of being available to over 100 million households is incredibly nice, but the Friday Night timeslot presents a challenge. Why? Well, during the Fall, High School Football is mostly played on Friday Nights and everyone, young and old, attends those in many areas around the United States. Following that, High School Basketball will command that Friday event slot in many local communities as well. In addition, Friday is prime real estate for date nights. Thus, when your choices are getting laid versus watching dudes performing scripted matches, the choice is easy for many.

And I believe that I was mostly right… If you look at WWE’s demographics for WWE Smackdown for past 5 years, it trended older. WWE’s numbers were thick in the latter half of the 18-49 key demo, while being heavy in the 50+ year old demo. In other words, older married men who weren’t going out on Friday nights and needed something to watch and Smackdown was conveniently placed at 8-10pm so that they can bang their wife after 10pm…

BUT, as I keep telling you folks, PEOPLE WILL CHASE QUALITY.

If you create demand for a quality product, people will MAKE TIME to consume it. Including on Friday Nights!

Thanks to turning Roman Reigns heel and pairing him with Paul Heyman to create the Bloodline storyline/stable, that demand was created to watch a wrestling show on Friday Nights.

Let’s take a look at the completed 5-year run of Smackdown and review viewership by AVERAGE viewership per quarter (excluding FS1 shows):

4Q-2019 2,610,333 N/A Above Average
1Q-2020 2,507,846 -3.9% Above Average
2Q-2020 2,103,385 -16.1% Below Average
3Q-2020 2,002,154 -4.8% Below Average
4Q-2020 2,221,545 11.0% Below Average
1Q-2021 2,129,538 -4.1% Below Average
2Q-2021 2,012,231 -5.5% Below Average
3Q-2021 2,147,923 6.7% Below Average
4Q-2021 2,136,818 -0.5% Below Average
1Q-2022 2,175,917 1.8% Below Average
2Q-2022 2,069,923 -4.9% Below Average
3Q-2022 2,170,643 4.9% Below Average
4Q-2022 2,276,636 4.9% Above Average
1Q-2023 2,366,077 3.9% Above Average
2Q-2023 2,308,846 -2.4% Above Average
3Q-2023 2,326,250 0.8% Above Average
4Q-2023 2,228,500 -4.2% Below Average
1Q-2024 2,397,615 7.6% Above Average
2Q-2024 2,252,615 -6.0% Above Average
3Q-2024 2,155,600 -4.3% Below Average

AVERAGE 2,230,020

So what do you see here? Well, WWE Smackdown was off to a decent start at first aggressively cooled down on FOX. You could blame COVID, which made shows look terrible in front of no crowds at the tiny WWE Performance Center. But I’m sorry, but trading World Champions between the rosters EARLY into the FOX Smackdown run just didn’t work for WWE Smackdown. While he may rest in peace and it’s tragic that he passed away, we were in the thick of the Fiend gimmick for Bray Wyatt. With due respect to Bray’s past accomplishments during the 2010s, this run with the Fiend did not work creatively and caused viewership to decline. FOX executives were complaining immediately about the content, too. Hence why Bill Goldberg won the World Title.

WWE Smackdown continued to limp along through the COVID Summer, trying to create the Thunderdome to boost the appearance of shows.

But then, possibly the best creative decision was ever made by the WWE. Roman Reigns not only returned, but he returned as a HEEL. Not only that, he had Paul Heyman with him. For years, WWE tried to bottle up Heyman’s influence on other wrestlers backstage while often refusing his input on anything. Now, with business declining, WWE as desperate… Could Paul Heyman FIX the attempted Main Eventer from the 2010s named Roman Reigns. He did and Roman was open to learning on his part, too. Not everyone that is paired with Heyman succeeds, just ask Ryback, Curtis Axel, and Cesaro. Unless a wrestler fully buys in and lets Heyman help them, they won’t grow. Roman just needed some guidance, as Vince McMahon’s vision for him wasn’t working and the WWE writers were too stupid to figure anything out.

Viewership stabilized or slightly increased… But then, fate would intervene as Vince McMahon‘s toxic workplace behavior forced him out and brought back Triple H. While HHH struggled during the 2010s creatively and managing talent, that was experiences to learn what to do or what NOT to do later on. Often, you need to take bumps and bruises before you can learn how to not get harmed. Fully experienced Triple H was ready to take on the WWE world and that he did. He built on the Bloodline and added wrinkles Sami Zayn being added to the group along with SLOWING things down to let storylines breathe and develop. Then, HHH would end Premium Live Events with a big storyline event such as the finale of Royal Rumble 2023.

With HHH’s guidance, many of the younger wrestlers began receiving opportunities while many other veterans were used better. For much of 2023, Smackdown drew 2.3 million viewers and that is a year BEFORE the Rock arrives and pumped up great numbers during the 1st quarter of 2024.

The moral of the story is this… Yes, Friday night is a difficult timeslot and is historically one of the least viewed nights on television. But if you have a GREAT PRODUCT that people WANT TO CONSUME, they’ll find a way to watch it on Friday Nights. Again, bang your wife or girlfriend after 10pm once Smackdown is over. Hell, it isn’t like Roman is an ugly man… Wives and girlfriends were welcome to watch, too, and WWE had some growth in the female demographic during the 2022 to early 2024 timeframe.

Also, once High School Football season ended and fed into Rumble to Wrestlemania season, viewership pumped up and usually grew during August for SummerSlam. Also, the WWE cashed in BIGTIME anytime during the Holidays and also when they happened to be following NFL games.

So not all is lost by moving on from FOX… WWE had their HOTTEST ANGLE at a time when they were available to be accessed by 100 million+ households. YES, not the ideal night with Friday Night timeslot, but again, a great product drives up demand to see your product on ANY night.

Now, however, they are only available in 70 million households with the USA Network. I’d expect some drop off and regularity of being at or possibly below 1.5 million viewers after the initial bump this Friday upon its debut. WWE will move Roman Reigns to Netflix where he’ll draw massively on a night other than Friday. Then, we’ll try see how great Cody is as a draw when he’s on Smackdown alone.

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Well, they aren’t… According to FOX’s CEO on the decision not to renew their relationship with the WWE, “From an advertising point of view, we were not hitting the advertising numbers due to the audience of WWE to make the return for our return on investment to be above the levels that we would accept. But also, we didn’t attribute enough significant retransmission revenue to the WWE either. So it made sense for us to move on from them. They’ve been a great partner for many years. But just quite simply, we’re very disciplined and the Return on Investment (ROI) didn’t meet our disciplined parameters so, we wish them luck and we’ve moved on from them.”

Ouch, that’s gotta hurt!

And as Khan (not Tony or Nick) from Star Trek 2 once said, “revenge is a dish best served cold”. Well, the WWE opted to announce the new WWE Smackdown deal with USA Networks a YEAR before the existing deal was set to expire during the Fall of 2024. If you’ll recall, as the TKO corporation was terminating WWE employees and wrestlers, and Endeavor/TKO decided to announce the new Smackdown TV deal to offset job cuts in the news cycle. They announced it as a $1.4 billion NBC/Universal deal for the next 5 years with several network specials per year.

Well, how do you think FOX felt when they heard that announcement so far in advance? Thus, the FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch said that he had two words for you… SUCK IT!

This hurts WWE badly, SPECIFICALLY the point about not hitting Advertising number to make the “return on investment” acceptable. Ouch…

Yes, WWE’s viewership has been surging during 2023… But that’s not the point. WWE’s viewership was surging during 1998, 1999, and 2000, but they received low ad rates back then too. Then, when Viacom signed them to a deal during mid 2000 to place RAW on TNN/Spike TV and extended WWE Smackdown on UPN, Viacom soon realized that WWE’s higher viewership meant SQUAT in light of higher viewership. Keep in mind that WWE could easily pull in 5 million or more viewers back then compared to 2 million today.

During the early 2000s, following wrestling hitting its peak of recent popularity, there was a study that came out regarding the demographics of WWE’s viewers. Now, what I’m about to tell you is just the results of study and is NOT insulting to you, a wrestling fan. I’m one of you, too, so thus don’t take this personally… Also, there are exceptions to every rule. What the study found is that WWE viewers tend to have low income, on average, compared to viewership of other shows or other sports.

Now, KEEP IN MIND that one reason why the Meltzers of the world and other analysts look closely at the 18-49 demographic is not because that is the most lucrative demo financially, but because that is the audience that Pro Wrestling attracts, particularly the younger half of it. That younger half, say 18 to 35 year-olds, hold a lower amount of WEALTH compared to those above them. Baby Boomers and Generation X, most of which are above 35 years of age, hold around 81% of the wealth in the United States. Thus, 35 and younger only holds 19% of the wealth. So yeah, when a large portion of the audience is much younger, thus cheaper ad rates can be charged because they have LESS disposable income.

However, NBA and UFC attract younger audiences, too, but can still command higher ad rates. It was reported that UFC on cable can attracted up to 7 times more on advertising dollars compared to the WWE, yet often has lower viewership on Cable. Something is up with the wrestling fanbase, as advertisers don’t feel the “bang for its buck” as they see with other shows or television. Personally, I believe that wrestling’s fanbase is more urban and living in densely populated cities, they have lesser disposable income to spend than compared to the apparent demographics of other sports or shows.

Hence why Pro Wrestling is typically sponsored by Fast Food, Video Games, and other cheaper consumer goods because that’s what younger folks can afford. If you look at NHL, NBA, and MLB who have lower audiences BUT have an older demographic with more wealth to spend, that’s why you see higher end commercials, such as for Cars and Trucks, sponsoring those games. While wrestling has a thick % of an older audience, too, it appears that they aren’t polling as much in the wealth categories as other sports or shows.

Plus… WWE has a history of bad stories hitting the fan, such as steroid trials of the early 1990s, content censorship via the Parents Television Council, Chris Benoit murders, wrestlers dying early, and many controversies of Vince McMahon. That scares away sponsors, too, so hence why Vince kisses the arses of companies like Mattel and lets them bend him over the table when they don’t particularly like Mandy Rose’s lifestyle outside of the ring. Many of the bad changes to WWE’s creative has been bending their will to the sponsors or to a company like Comcast.

However, we haven’t heard any stories about ad rates since the early 2000s… For all we knew, Comcast was always happy with their NBC/Universal deals and FOX was willing to pay $1 billion over 5 years. However, FOX just reiterated Pro Wrestling’s sponsorship problem and this will affect how WWE potentially obtains a deal for RAW and NXT.

Disney is already bleeding money… Do you think they are willing to pay over $1 billion for a company that has low ad rates just to place it on one of their ESPN channels or FX? TBS and TNT probably know all about low ad rates with AEW and FOX’s story confirms that the WWE has low ad rate issues, too. Do you think they are willing to shell out more than $1 billion for RAW? Comcast just paid WWE for content, so they will NOT double-dip since it’s likely that WWE asked for a high price of RAW.

Don’t be surprised if WWE gets lowballed on their RAW deal, thanks to FOX’s CEO just destroying WWE’s business model on television.

And don’t be surprised if Endeavor is already having 2nd thoughts on their WWE investment…

Also “in case you missed it”, Endeavor, the parent company who acquired WWE and formed the TKO Corporation that features WWE and UFC (with Endeavor as its majority shareholder), are reportedly in talks to be acquired itself. Abu Dhabi wealth fund is in talks for a takeover bid of Endeavor… Wow. As discussed before, Endeavor does carry over $4 billion in debt that must be paid in 2 years (or at least refinanced) and if their WWE ATM machine isn’t expected to pump out funds as expected, Endeavor could have liquidity problems. If Vince McMahon opts to cash-in his TKO shares, that’s more than $2 billion owed to him.

While it once appeared that the WWE made a major financial deal for its future, things may quickly change if Endeavor is acquired. Suddenly, you have foreign interests wanting their say in WWE’s creative direction. If you don’t believe me, look at how WWE has to present itself for Crown Jewel events and their complete denial of the airplane international incident that happened a few years ago. The new owners of Endeavor could flip the TKO board and both Vince McMahon and Nick Khan could suddenly be off of it. In addition, the new owners of Endeavor could change any lines of WWE management.

Things are cooking in the corporate world for the WWE, and we’ll see through 2024 if it’s actually for the better. FOX delivered a massive blow to their negotiating power for RAW and NXT, though, and the sale of Endeavor could shake things up further for WWE.

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Contrast this to what WWE reportedly received from FOX to air Smackdown on network television on Fridays with a 5 year deal for around $1 billion for 2019-2024. This would represent a 40% increase in the network payout, but a major loss in potential viewership going from about 115 million available households for FOX to just above (but declining) 80 million for USA Network.

Personally, I feel this is a step down for the WWE and will mark Smackdown as the official “B-Show” of the brand extension. Why Roman Reigns is on a freakin’ Friday Night show was due to the reach of the FOX Network, hence why they are consistently 2 million and above. When it’s on USA Network, I could almost guarantee a consistent BELOW 2 million viewership even if Roman Reigns and the Bloodline storyline is on that show.

Which is why I believe that whomever buys Monday Night RAW is going to get the premiere WWE show. Furthermore, I believe that the WWE RAW deal will net potentially $2 billion and the promise that Roman Reigns will be on that show.

After TKO/WWE announced the deal for Smackdown last week, the TKO stock lost like $20 per share (going $100ish to $80ish). Why? Because the impression is that WWE downgraded their Smackdown deal.

Here’s a brief history of the WWE’s television deals, just to help you understand how investors think.

Deal prior to 2014: $90 million per year from NBC/Universal for all WWE shows
Deal from 2014-2019: Between $150 to $175 million per year from NBC/Universal for all WWE shows

Now, if you’ll recall during 2013-2014, Vince McMahon was caught boasting to investors that he’d “triple” the prior television deal offer. Well, it didn’t double it… Hence why the WWE stock took a major bath during the Spring of 2014 when this new deal was announced.

Deal from 2019-2024: Combined $400 million per year from NBC/Universal for RAW & NXT and FOX for Smackdown. In other words, around $1 billion from each for 5 years…

And now we have $1.4 billion for Smackdown, which is 40% increase… That seems high, as is $400 million more for Smackdown, but it could have been higher and that is how the investors valuate things. WWE seriously went from $150-175 million per year for 2014-2019 to $400 million per year for 2019-2024, so hence investors are expecting at LEAST to double it for one of the shows. Instead, it just increased 40%…

That’s how they think… It’s cut-throat, yes, but your prior deal more than doubled the TV revenue, so why couldn’t you do the same with the Smackdown deal? And why are you leaving FOX with 115 households and going to USA Network with 80 million? And maybe WWE could have got more with the bonus of 4 NBC Network specials?

But the ACE IN THE HOLE is WWE Monday Night RAW… I believe that RAW becomes the #1 show again and is going to make a BIG SPLASH somewhere. I’d be SHOCKED if RAW didn’t earn $2 billion for 5 years… Shocked, I say! Hell, maybe more.

Maybe this is the trade-off that USA Networks by obtaining Smackdown? They realized that WWE was asking too much for this show and maybe had aspirations of moving RAW to FOX instead? And by doing this deal with Comcast/NBC/Universal, does it guarantee that WWE Network remains on Peacock whose deal expires during March 2026? I think so… It keeps WWE in the good graces of a business relationship with Comcast/NBC/Universal and both sides will make money on this reasonable deal. It’s a “hometown discount” to an old business partner who helped not only make WWE successful, but paid them lots of money in the process.

I believe that Monday Night RAW will go to one of the following suitors:

(1) Warner Bros. Discovery
Think back to what Viacom did to ECW when WWE’s television deal was up during 2000. They were airing ECW’s show on Friday Nights on TNN from late 1999 until the WWE deal was signed during 2000. ECW was abruptly dropped. Why buy the Go-bots when you can get Transformers instead? AEW should be sweating right now, because their recent drama with CM Punk, losing Cody Rhodes and Jade Gargill, and other image issues (Jon Moxley hardcore matches) could cause WBD to pivot just like Viacom pivoted during 2000 and dropped ECW like a bad habit. WORSE YET for AEW is that WWE signed a deal with NBC/Universal for WWE Smackdown, so hence it takes ANY of their channels off the table! Making this less of a possibility is the MAX channel airing AEW events, but again, as a kid, you wanted the Transformers (WWE) toys instead of the cheaper toy Go-bots (AEW).

(2) Disney for FX or ESPN
Did you notice who scooped Jade Cargill to WWE and then had an interview with her? Uh huh… Something could be going on there. Disney not only owns several ESPN channels, but the FX channel as well. FX could be a great fit for RAW and could possibly allow them to push the adult boundaries a little more. Then again, FX is owned by Disney who has been censoring everything lately… I don’t think that it’s Disney in this case because the are losing money on all fronts right now, whether it is ESPN from overpaying for content rights, major motion picture flops, or some reductions in the values of their brands. ESPN breaking the story of Jade going to the WWE has me thinking that something is up…

(3) FOX Network
If WWE’s programming was on something other than Friday for a network, it would draw more than 2-2.5 million as they are doing now. While what FOX has now is drawing like 3-5 million on Monday Nights, it could be moved elsewhere as they aren’t major trademark shows (both reality shows there now). By returning RAW to 2 hours at 8-10pm timeslot, they could air any programming at 10pm (though many FOX channels have news at 10pm). After FOX sold off all of their studios and content, they are now content buyers. WWE programming, though it draws lower than Hollywood shows, is actually way cheaper than having 2, 3, or 4 shows in a same 2 hour period. Hence why they easily paid $1 billion for 5 years for WWE Smackdown.

(4) Amazon Prime
With Smackdown going to USA Networks, I just don’t see this as an option now. Initially, I could have seen WWE Smackdown remaining on FOX and RAW maybe jumping to Amazon as the secondary show. However, with Smackdown sort of downgrading to USA Network (in terms of viewership), I just don’t see RAW being placed behind a paywall. RAW is going big and widely available, which is why I believe options 1, 2, 3, or even 5 are happening versus Amazon. Now, NXT has a great chance of appearing on Amazon…

(5) The CW
This is where I think Paramount Global possibly gets into the game, maybe placing Monday Night RAW on the CW Network but ALSO streaming it live off of the Paramount+ at the same time. That way, if you have any issues accessing the CW Network, you could just watch it on Paramount+ instead.

Then, you have the matter of NXT‘s show. I could see them as a consolation prize for anyone not receiving Monday Night RAW. Maybe RAW goes to TBS or TNT, while NXT airs on FX or Amazon Prime. I just don’t see 1 network agreeing to host both shows, especially if desired to air on Mondays and Tuesdays like it does now with USA Network. I could also see NXT becoming a Peacock exclusive show, or exclusive to whomever acquires the WWE Network beyond March 2026.

Let’s be honest here… WWE is in a GREAT place right now. So Smackdown’s deal seems like a letdown, but we need to see what RAW gets as a deal before making any more assumptions. Hence why TKO’s stock could be a steal at $81 before the RAW television deal is later announced (DISCLAIMER: NoDQ & Mr. Tito is not responsible for any investment choices you make!). I believe there is big money being thrown around for RAW and with the combined forces of Vince McMahon, Nick Khan, and Endeavor’s executives in the same room, some television network is about to fork out $2 BILLION for RAW or something close to it (like $1.8 Billion).

And whomever gets RAW will get Roman Reigns… That’s the prized pig out of this, and hence why Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Paramount Global, FOX, or even Amazon will pay major money for RAW’s television rights.

But let’s be honest here… This isn’t 2019 WWE. They have MORE STARS now than they did back then. Back in 2019, WWE was too reliant on Brock Lesnar to carry things and they were over-pushing guys in the wrong gimmicks or on the wrong heel/face sides down our throats. Now, however, WWE has Roman Reigns crushing it, LA Knight and Cody Rhodes as legitimate babyface options, Seth Rollins has been solid lately, lots of talented women (plus adding Jade Cargill on top of that), and tons of younger wrestlers ready to rise up (Breakker, Solo, etc.). And 2019 WWE didn’t have the Endeavor machine backing them, either. This is an entirely different ballgame from a marketing perspective.

Just listen to what Jade Cargill proudly said on her ESPN interview after it was announced she joined WWE: “I’m the first signing by TKO”. That is a gigantic statement that should make AEW’s heads spin, because I believe a major talent exodus is coming. MJF will be a WWE superstar by 2024-2025, and that’s another thing that a TV Network can count on… Jade is the first of many because WWE under the Endeavor banner is going to be a marketing machine that will pump out stars and make everyone household names again.

The price tag for Monday Night RAW is going to get expensive, folks, especially with the WWE actually growing now and Endeavor behind it. It’s going to be a bidding process and someone is going to (a) take out big commercial loans and/or (b) place funds in escrow to pay for this. And it will be worth it because WWE is on the upswing and placing focus to make RAW become the #1 wrestling show again is going to be HUGE for the pro wrestling industry.

Just please knock that damn show back down to 2 hours. 3 hours per weekly television show is just too much, especially coming off of a Pay Per View weekend and then demanding us to watch NXT on Tuesdays. Come on, 2 hour RAW! But take my advice if you HAVE to keep it as 3 hours, make that 3rd hour for “mature audiences”. Between 10-11pm, why not? Let’s get some rough angles, hot women, more violence, and some vulgar language. Stop treating your audience like children and feed them more mature content. Just for that 1 hour…

Make RAW 2 hours again!

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Anybody who says they know is full of bullshit just like ponies.

Before all the wrestling nerds started going full mental, let me explain why I say this. Because most wrestling fans don’t even know right now what’s going on in Hollywood and people in the wrestling bubble need to understand that.

As of now, the Writers Guild Association along with the Actors/Directors are involved in a strike against the Hollywood Production studios. The main issue is that they want not just a new contract with more everything but protection from Artificial Intelligence. The fear is that with AI, writers can be replaced, background actors can be replaced and even actors eventually will be replaced.

This strike has been going on for several months now and because of that all production has been put on hold. That is why no new movies are in production, Television shows are not being promoted and even why Yellowstone is now going to be on CBS this fall.

It’s also why John Cena and The Rock are stopping by in WWE. They are not working on any projects; their schedule is free so why not come back for some quick cash.

The other part that nobody is mentioning is that the streaming services (and political issues) have caused havoc with the big studios. Warner Bros/ Discovery has lost 27 percent of their subscribers due to the failure of MAX and has lost a lot of money. It’s gotten to the point they have either outright cancelled projects like Batgirl for the tax write offs to selling the latest Batman animated show to Netflix.

Hell, they are selling all their DCEU and DC movies to Amazon just to make some profit.

Meanwhile Disney has been mired with their issues from box office failures to the streaming platform problems and “Don’t Say Gay” drama that they lost over a BILLION dollars in the last quarter. And just recently Bloomberg and Reuters reported that Byron Allen is making a serious bid to buy ABC and Hulu from Disney for 10 billion dollars.

That ain’t fake news and it isn’t chump change folks.

Well let me get straight to the point and state that all of this is proof of just how much the wrestling media is in the dark. It was only a few weeks ago that Dave Meltzer was stating that Disney and Amazon Prime were favorites to land WWE Smackdown. And it wasn’t just him it was other reporters who were repeating the same line.

They don’t know and they never did.

I am not saying this to pump my chest and tell people these guys are charlatans as I understand the game. I have covered major boxing, UFC, Bellator and other combat sports for a decade now. People got sources, insiders and other inside people who feed them scoops. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong and sometimes things change at the drop of the hat.

But the issue with the TV deals is that these meetings are going to be FAR outside the reach of Meltzer and other reporters, some of whom I like… as well as some whom I don’t like. Because nobody is going to have access to them.

The TV deals for AEW and especially WWE are going to be held between maybe 5-8 people total. NDA’s are going to be signed in some cases, assurances that nothing is leaked and lawyers are going to get in the middle of things. No way is Nick Khan going to spill the news to some wrestling reporter about where they MIGHT go. He doesn’t want shareholders to freak out on either side and get in hot water.

He wants to keep relationships friendly with all the studios as there is money to be made with good relationships. And spilling secrets does nothing but ruin good relationships.

Plus if your Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Apple, Amazon, Paramount or any other suitor, you first want to know if they can get the WWE library. Studios right now are filled with tons of real estate in the former of servers for their streaming empires. They want to know if the content they have can draw more people in and help them sell subscriptions.

That is WWE’s bigger bargain chip is the library and PLE’s that Peacock has used to build their channel. It draws big money and has helped NBC Peacock become one of the few streaming services that has been fruitful. Networks see it and everyone is going to make a push and a bid for it. You would have to either been foolish not to or just not be interested in live sports at all (a la Netflix).

At the same time, a lot of studios are trying to figure out the next step in not just the strike but their future. Disney’s Bob Iger has talked about selling the company as the end game according to a report from CNBC. Reports from Variety and Hollywood insider have also talked of rumors of Disney being sold to Apple or Blackrock.

Meanwhile WBD’s David Zaslav has been working on a sales plan to sell not just all their RSN’s (Regional Sports Network’s) but also half of their music-publishing assets. MSN even reported that they are even trying to sell CNN to get rid of more debt and make the company attractive to sell later.

When you factor in all of this news it makes you realize just how small the wrestling world is compared to the larger universe.

Which leads me to the point that all these wrestling news sites don’t know squat about the TV deals. Their sources are not in the same room as the big swinging dicks who make these decisions. Chances are that they are just regurgitating what they heard in a chat room and making it as news.

Nobody knew who was going to buy WWE until the sale was announced. And why should they as those meetings were kept under raps as to not screw the stock prices. Same thing is happening here right now with the possible TKO Sports TV rights for WWE and then Endeavor.

A few things could happen involving WWE Smackdown and Raw lands next year. But right now anything more than speculation would be just guess work, not factual news. And until that happens, AEW’s TV rights will be in a holding pattern as too many dominos need to fall.

My best guess is that around November/December things will start getting more serious. By that time the Strike will probably end as the 2024 year will be on the horizon as well as the Holidays. Networks will want to start focusing on getting movies made for 2025 and promoting the 2024 slate. Strikers and picketers will be more willing to deal as checks and money will run out.

Only then will networks make a bigger move for WWE’s TV deal rights and certain networks will be either all in or all out. And after that AEW’s rights will get addressed.

But until then… be careful about the fake news and innuendo that wrestling journalists are peddling.

You can check out more interviews with athletes and sports reporters on www.lastcallpodcast.com or Follow me on Twitter.com/LastCallwChrisC

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