WWE Is About To Begin TV Rights Negotiations, Amazon And Disney In The Mix

Highlights

• WWE's new owner, Endeavor, is set to begin negotiations for new TV deals during football season, potentially leading to changes in where WWE shows will be broadcast.
• SmackDown, currently airing on FOX, could potentially move to a new home, with Disney and Amazon being the top contenders. ABC or FX are possible options if Disney acquires the rights.
• WWE's move to ABC wouldn't be a major change, but a drop to FX or a change in the time slot could result in lower ratings. AEW may benefit if SmackDown leaves Friday nights.

Endeavor officially owns WWE, with the company Vince McMahon formally controlled now merged with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. While we don't know how many changes are coming to WWE (it looks like layoffs within the company's corporate structure are certain), one possible big change coming up is where you'll find your favorite WWE shows on TV, with their current deals up in 2024.

WWE CEO Nick Khan just spoke to Sport Business Journal, telling them that negotiations for new TV deals will begin during football season. He added, “You've seen bidding wars between Comcast and Disney on things like the Fox assets, which ultimately went to Disney, and Sky, which ultimately went to Comcast. It does make one wonder how this might look down the road as both companies and as TKO enters into these negotiations. We think ratings, relevancy and revenue for both properties are off the charts, and, of course, we always want to grow that.”

Nick Khan was the man behind WWE's last TV negotiations in 2019, which saw SmackDown land on FOX. Raw and NXT air on the NBC owned USA Network. With UFC airing on Disney owned ESPN, it makes them a possibility for WWE programming as well.

RELATED: Nick Khan Says WWE SmackDown Could Move Nights As Part Of New TV Rights Deal

SmackDown Could Be Finding A New Home

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer had an interesting report "about Disney being interested in SmackDown on Friday. The belief is that Raw and NXT will probably stay with USA, although WWE is looking for a huge increase in price for both of those shows, especially Raw, obviously from 465 to 700 [million]. As far as SmackDown goes, time will tell. There's a feeling that FOX is not going to go for the 300, which is what WWE is trying to get out of SmackDown or more, and that Disney and Amazon are probably the two companies most in contention for it. And if it's Disney, I brought up ABC or probably FX.

"They're not married to Friday. They're on Friday because FOX wanted them on Friday. If you remember, they were on Tuesday for a long time. They'd been on Thursday, they'd been on, basically on the night that the network that owns the rights wants them to be on. So perhaps there's another night that ABC would want them or perhaps they want them to boost FOX, which they will boost greatly because it's the number one show on a weekly basis when it comes to cable, on a year-round basis, 52 weeks a year. I mean, it's not always number one. I mean, obviously, football is always going to beat it. Big sports events will always beat it. But it's a steady performer. It'll be a steady performer week in and week out.” (h/t WrestlingNews.co)

WWE has a good thing going on Friday nights on FOX right now, with ratings up, and SmackDown now being WWE's "A show." For them to leave FOX for ABC wouldn't be a big change, but to drop to cable again on FX would be, and would result in lower ratings. Another interesting angle is the possiblity of SmackDown leaving Friday nights. If they did, you'd have to wonder if AEW would put Collision in SmackDown's spot, seeing as how Saturday nights are not a great night for ratings, as AEW is currently finding out.