WWE SmackDown will broadcast on the USA Network from October 2024.
It’s been announced that WWE has agreed a new five-year deal with the USA Network. The deal will see SmackDown leave FOX and return to USA in October 2024.
Although there was no word on the financial terms of the deal, Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer of WWE parents TKO Group and Endeavor recently said any deal would be “in line with market expectations.”
It was recently reported that FOX was reluctant to match WWE’s monster price tag for the blue brand.
You can find a section of the official press release below.
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and NBCUniversal have agreed to a five-year domestic media rights partnership that will bring Friday Night SmackDown back to USA Network beginning October 2024. Additionally, beginning in the 2024/25 season, WWE will produce four primetime specials per year that will air on NBC, marking the first time WWE will air on the network in primetime.
SmackDown will come exclusively to NBCU as one of television’s longest-running programs, regularly rating as the No. 1 show in the 18-49 advertising demographic on Friday nights and featuring many WWE Superstars including John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Rey Mysterio.
“NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades,” said WWE President Nick Khan. “We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing SmackDown to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC.”
“It’s a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU’s decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Network’s consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership” said Frances Berwick, Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment. “With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we’ll continue to use the power of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase.”
As part of WWE and NBCUniversal’s longstanding relationship, USA Network is currently home to WWE NXT and WWE Monday Night Raw, which is the #2 cable entertainment program in 2023 in the 18-49 demo. Demonstrating the deeply engaged WWE audience on USA, WWE NXT (+27%) and WWE Monday Night Raw (+15%) are up double-digits year-over-year in the target demographic. WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT will continue to air on USA Network through September 2024.”
When Was WWE SmackDown With USA?
SmackDown most recently aired on the USA Network from 2016 until 2019 when the show moved to FOX.
Ratings for the blue brand were significantly boosted on September 15th with the returns of The Rock and Pat McAfee, while the show also featured John Cena.