Report: Disney & Amazon In Contention For WWE SmackDown TV Rights

WWE SmackDown's media rights deal with FOX in the United States is up in October 2024 and the belief is that FOX will lose SmackDown as WWE looks to extract more money in the next deal. The two companies considered to be most in contention for SmackDown are Amazon and Disney, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer. 

"Something else also, when Garrett and I were talking on Friday 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. It's not out of the realm of possibility that it could be on ABC, but ABC on Fridays, they have had 2020 and Shark Tank, which is actually a pretty highly rated show. And even though it's not as highly rated as SmackDown most weeks now, I mean, it was before, but lately, it has not been. It still fetches higher ad rates for ABC than SmackDown would. So because of that, it doesn't necessarily make the most sense for ABC, even though SmackDown has been absolutely killing it. When it comes to Friday night network television, for them to necessarily make that change, I hadn't really heard people talking about it on ABC, just the possibility that it could be. The other thing, too, is they could change nights," Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.

"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."

Friday Night SmackDown has aired on FOX since October 2019. Monday Night Raw and NXT, meanwhile, air on USA Network. 

WWE President Nick Khan expects talks over WWE's media rights in the United States to ramp up now that the American football season has begun.

"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," Khan told Sports Business Journal.

Meltzer further noted that TKO Group Holdings CEO Ari Emanuel and TKO President Mark Shapiro will be handling the TV rights negotiations along with Nick Khan. Vince McMahon will also have some input but the TKO Executive Chairman will be more focused on WWE creative and other aspects of the day-to-day running of WWE. 

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