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WWE SmackDown signs USA Network deal

September 21, 2023

By Nik Roseveare

WWE, now part of TKO Group Holdings, and NBCUniversal have agreed to a five-year domestic media rights partnership in the US 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.

After five years on Fox, SmackDown will come exclusively to NBCU as one of television’s longest-running programmes, regularly rating as the No. 1 show in the 18-49 advertising demographic on Friday nights and featuring many WWE Superstars including Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, John Cena 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 programme in 2023 in the 18-49 demo.

In addition, since 2021, Peacock has been the exclusive home of WWE Network in the US where Peacock subscribers can stream thousands of hours of on-demand programming from WWE including original series, documentaries, fan-favourite shows from the WWE archives, and premium live events like WrestleMania, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and more.

In the UK, SmackDown airs on TNT Sports.

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