WWE has reportedly finished its’ exclusive negotiating window with FOX and Comcast/USA Network without reaching a new deal.
The New York Post confirmed the news on Monday morning.
The news is not surprising, as most significant deals ultimately end up on the open market for bidding, even if the incumbents remain the favorites in the expected bidding war.
The Post is also reporting that FOX, with Friday Night SmackDown and USA Network, with Monday Night Raw, remain most likely to re-up their respective deals. This is generally the common thought at this point in these types of negotiations, particularly where they are ones that have been successes for both sides in the past.
It’s worth noting, however, that money talks.
The current TV deals are each five years in length. Comcast pays $265 million annually to make Monday Night Raw their exclusively weekly cable television property, while FOX doles out $205 million per year for Friday Night SmackDown.
Both contracts are scheduled to expire in October of 2024.
A big note in the New York Post report is that although it is still early in the process, one party that seems to have pretty strong interest in acquiring the WWE television rights is FX.
We will keep you posted here at Rajah.com as updates regarding WWE’s television rights continue to surface.
