They dropped UCF for WWE, and Outbidded NBCU for smackdown. Why does this affect Us, because while we watch the games on FOX, there will be lots of commercials for the WWE.
Both shows have been fixtures on NBCUniversal cable networks, and NBCU was fully expecting to keep things that way with a new 10-year deal worth $360 million, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. But Peter Rice, chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group, knew that NBCU's exclusive negotiating window was due to lapse at 4:59 p.m. ET on May 16. By the end of the meeting, the two sides had shaken hands on a five-year deal for SmackDown worth $1.025 billion.
That pitch sealed the bargain. Starting in October 2019, Fox will air SmackDown for five years, if the deal closes as expected. NBCU will retain Raw, paying $265 million per year, sources say, with the two deals valued at $2.35 billion over five years — a massive increase from the $130 million per year that NBCU currently pays for both programs.
Both shows have been fixtures on NBCUniversal cable networks, and NBCU was fully expecting to keep things that way with a new 10-year deal worth $360 million, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. But Peter Rice, chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group, knew that NBCU's exclusive negotiating window was due to lapse at 4:59 p.m. ET on May 16. By the end of the meeting, the two sides had shaken hands on a five-year deal for SmackDown worth $1.025 billion.
That pitch sealed the bargain. Starting in October 2019, Fox will air SmackDown for five years, if the deal closes as expected. NBCU will retain Raw, paying $265 million per year, sources say, with the two deals valued at $2.35 billion over five years — a massive increase from the $130 million per year that NBCU currently pays for both programs.
