June 4, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: More details on Raw and Smackdown TV deals, more
The Hollywood Reporter ran a story this week detailing the negotiations that ended up with WWE getting an average of $470 million annual television rights deal between Raw remaining on the USA Network and Smackdown moving to Friday’s on FOX for the next five years.
The figures listed were, over the five years of the deal, an average of $265 million for the three hour Raw and $205 million from FOX. At this point these deals are just about finalized, but haven’t been signed.
The UFC’s deal with ESPN was signed on 5/23, and the press release was reported sent out “as the ink was drying” and the story on the deal that broke on 5/22 was actually before the deal was finalized.
With the WWE contracts having annual price escalators, that means those actual numbers would hit in the third year of the two deals, with it being a little lower the first two years, about that level in year three, well above in years four and five.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.