WWE content to get pulled from Hulu Saturday, deal set to expire
As WWE continues to talk about their next big rights deal for Raw and SmackDown, another deal is more imminent.
All WWE content on Hulu will be pulled on Saturday, September 25th as their deal for next day rights for Raw & SmackDown is set to expire.
That content includes episodes of Raw, SmackDown, NXT, Main Event, Total Divas, Total Bellas, and more. Currently, nearly all WWE content on Hulu has a ‘Exp. Sat’ flag.
PWInsider’s Mike Johnson said talks are still ongoing as they are attempting to negotiate a new deal.
Hulu (approximately 46 million subscribers) is primarily owned by Disney (67%) with NBCUniversal owning the remaining stake. Both Disney and NBCUniversal are partners with WWE to varying degrees while Hulu and WWE have been partners for ten years.
On past investors calls, WWE co-CEO Nick Khan has spoken about several intriguing aspects of the company’s rights, one of which is the second-day rights for Raw and SmackDown.
Based on industry trends, he expects multiple bidders for WWE content in the years ahead as streaming services get more involved in the mix.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.