Major Players Show Interest as WWE Negotiates TV Rights Renewal

WWE is currently in negotiations for its TV rights, and there is significant interest from several major players. For a considerable period, WWE had a longstanding agreement with NBC Universal, where Monday Night Raw was broadcast on the USA Network. In 2019, the company struck a deal with Fox, resulting in SmackDown airing on Friday nights, marking the first time in a while that WWE programming was available on a non-cable channel.

As WWE ventures into re-negotiating its TV rights, a recent report by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, based on information from Wells Fargo, sheds light on the parties displaying interest in the process.

"Wells Fargo wrote about WWE’s negotiations, saying they believe NBCU is committed to Raw and WWE on Peacock, but that FOX is unlikely to bid higher than the $205 million ish per year for Smackdown. WWE’s stock price is built for expecting in excess of $300 million in the next negotiations. They listed FX & Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and WBD as companies they think would be more likely to reach WWE’s asking price for Smackdown. Obviously if WBD is looking for Smackdown, the entire landscape of the business changes."

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