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This bit seems weird:
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.
Why would USA bring Smackdown over but get rid of Raw and NXT? Is it just cheaper and less time consuming so they can air other things?
One of the news reports said RAW is being persued by several networks and streaming companies. If I had to guess, and that's what I'm doing, I'd say SmackDown was all they could afford on top of being the home of WWE Network in the US.
I would guess it means that USA passed on Raw and NXT. They would likely have first refusal on them, after all, since they already air those shows. Perhaps TKO wanted more money for that package than they wanted for Smackdown?
Either way, I would guess that the sheer inertia of having the same show in the same time slot would be a big point in favor of keeping Raw rather than dumping it for Smackdown. But then, I'm not a network exec.
It's a big yikes if that's the case. NBC overpaid for sure, especially if they're moving it off of broadcast back to cable. If they're expecting the same ratings, they're gonna be disappointed.
This has been rough on TKO's stock, it lost 12 bucks at opening which is wild considering this is allegedly a deal for 1.4 billion dollars.
What's really wild is that most outlets are reporting that RAW is moving, although at this point nobody knows where. The belief is that USA spent its entire budget on SmackDown. I don't think they would have done that if RAW wasn't moving on.
Wonder if that "four annual specials" part means the return of Saturday Night's Main Event.