May 21, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: USA potentially paying big money for Raw, more
The Hollywood Reporter’s Matthew Belloni reported on 5/16 that NBC Universal had reached a deal to retain Raw when the current contract expires in October of 2019.
Belloni claimed that WWE was asking for triple its current $160 million price tag for Raw and Smackdown and they were agreeing to the price for Raw, but would let Smackdown go.
If that is accurate, that would mean a number in the range of a $240 million price tag for Raw alone. That would be far beyond what most analysts were expecting, which was $240 million to $300 million combined for the U.S. rights to both Raw and Smackdown. If Raw is really getting a number at that level, it would mean the combined number for both shows would end up closer to $400 million, a figure USA Network wasn’t interested in spending.
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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.