‘WWE SmackDown’ to Leave FOX for USA Network; What Does This Mean for RAW, NXT?
The TKO Holdings era of WWE is off to a raucous start with the news that “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” is headed to the USA Network in October 2024. “Monday Night Raw” and “NXT” will remain on the NBCUniversal cable channel through September 2024, but rumor has it that both properties will leave USA at that time for another yet-unknown destination.
The “SmackDown” deal is for five years and includes the weekly episodic wrestling program along with four primetime specials per year that will air on NBC, a first for the network. While no financial information was provided at this time, pundits believe the deal will run NBCU about $1.4 billion, an increase when compared to the deal WWE got from FOX.
“NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades,” WWE President Nick Khan said. “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.”
So, where does that leave WWE’s flagship show and its developmental territory? For starters, it seems like NXT is destined to go to a streaming platform, either Peacock or Prime Video. Peacock makes the most sense because of WWE’s working relationship with NBCU, and its status as a show aimed at wrestling diehards.
Peacock — which is also the domestic home for all WWE major events — would no doubt love NXT’s weekly audience coming for the live program and staying for its wide library of wrestling content. But while Prime Video is always on the hunt for new sports content, they could have eyes on a bigger prize.
“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,” NBCU Entertainment chair Frances Berwick said. “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.”
“Monday Night RAW” has two rumored suitors — Disney and Prime Video. A deal with Disney seems almost predestined thanks to the other half of TKO Holdings, UFC, and its long-term relationship with ESPN. Disney would love to add WWE’s dedicated audience to either ESPN or FX, depending on whether or not they want to move “RAW” off of Monday Nights.
ESPN owns the rights to “Monday Night Football,” which would present a clear scheduling conflict throughout the fall. Of course, Disney and TKO could decide to move the show to Tuesday nights if they are determined to have it air on the worldwide leader in sports. That would seemingly work from a schedule perspective, as, the college basketball and NHL hockey schedules provide much more flexibility than the NFL does. They could also try to put “RAW” on Wednesday nights to counter TBS’s “AEW Dynamite,” but they likely wouldn’t try to trim an already-niche audience even further, despite the fond memories for the Monday Night Wars of the WWF and WCW a couple decades ago.
Prime Video has no such scheduling qualms and could air “RAW” in its traditional Monday night timeslot. However, WWE could conceivably decide that it no longer wants to compete with pro football for about 20 weeks every year and move its flagship program to another night. Prime Video could then pair “RAW” with “Thursday Night Football” and its MLB coverage to create an intriguing destination for sports fans.
The Best Way to Stream WWE SmackDown on USA Network
It’s never too early to start thinking about a new live TV streaming service to watch “WWE Friday Night SmackDown” when it heads to USA Network. Our top recommendation is DIRECTV Stream, as not only can you watch USA Network, but you can also watch 34 of the top 35 cable channels, including ESPN, FX, TBS, TNT, and most cable news channels.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get $10 Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| USA Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
You can also watch USA Network on Fubo, Sling, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is a live TV streaming service, which is essentially the streaming version of the DIRECTV service. All packages include local channels and at least 31 of the top 35 cable channels. New subscribers can get a free Gemini streaming device from the company, in which case the service is called “DIRECTV via Internet.”