Shinsuke Nakamura and Karrion Kross combat all over the WWE SmackDown at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot on Might 5, 2023, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Gladys Vega | Getty Photographs Game | Getty Photographs
WWE’s “Friday Evening SmackDown” will go back to USA Community in October 2024 as a part of a five-year home media rights partnership between TKO Staff Holdings and NBCUniversal, WWE stated Thursday.
Stocks of TKO dropped greater than 14% following the announcement.
The deal comes out to a median of $287 million in keeping with yr, a complete worth of over $1.4 billion, folks aware of the topic informed CNBC. WWE does no longer be expecting to achieve a rights settlement for its flagship display “Uncooked” till subsequent yr.
“SmackDown” has been on Fox since October 2019, with a rights settlement for $205 million in keeping with yr in a five-year deal. The brand new settlement is kind of a 40% build up. “SmackDown” ultimate gave the impression on USA Community from 2016 to 2019.
WWE is an element of TKO Staff Holdings, which was once created after a merger between WWE and Undertaking’s UFC. TKO started buying and selling at the NYSE ultimate week.
WWE may even produce 4 prime-time specials in keeping with yr to air on NBC starting within the 2024-2025 season.
“It is a privilege and thrill to proceed NBCU’s decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Community’s constant place because the top-rated cable leisure community in are living viewership,” stated Frances Berwick, chairman of NBCUniversal Leisure. “With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we’re going to proceed to make use of the facility of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase.”
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the mother or father corporate of CNBC.