WWE SmackDown could no longer be on Friday nights when Fall 2024 arrives after WWE's current media rights deal expires with Fox. The show, since its inception in 1999 on the former UPN channel, has been on every weekday night besides Monday and Wednesday.

Monday, of course has always been designated for Raw, while over the past couple years, Wednesday nights have been for NXT.

Depending on who WWE views as the most lucrative offer moving forward to broadcast their programming, SmackDown could not only be on another network and night, but watched in a different way all together.

The landscape of television has been in the midst of great transformation for the last couple of years with the surge of streaming services. We're quickly moving away from the traditional cable television format and venturing into new ways to consume media.

WWE, and longtime chairman Vince McMahon, have historically been ahead of the curve in media innovation. They were considered revolutionaries when they first launched the WWE Network back in 2014.

What made their streaming service so intriguing was that the WWE was offering some of their most popular events, like WrestleMania, for only $9.99 a month.

It was an instant hit among wrestling fans. Seven years later, the rights to the popular streaming service were eventually sold to NBCUniversal to be streamed on Peacock for $1 billion.

WWE's last media rights deal was considered another groundbreaking moment in the company's storied history, particularly when WWE signed with Fox in 2019 to broadcast SmackDown.

The result was yet another $1 billion paycheck over a five-year span. But with the contract expiration date quickly approaching, the WWE is looking for future suitors to broadcast their popular Friday show and others.

CEO Nick Khan believes that there will be a revenue increase by 1.5x that amount once a new agreement is reached with a suitor. The question is, who will that potential suitor be? That's the mill- er… billion-dollar question.

Khan, while at the SVB MoffettNathanson Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in New York City, mentioned that Netflix and Amazon Prime are possibilities.

If WWE were to move SmackDown to one of the streaming giants, it will only further accelerate what is already a paradigm shift in the way sports content is consumed.

Sports fans are already seeing this shift in some of their favorite sports leagues presently. The NFL, for example, now broadcasts their Thursday Night Football games on Amazon Prime ($100 million).

Starting this season, YouTubeTV ($2 billion) will broadcast the NFL's popular Sunday Ticket. Similarly, the MLB has partnered with Apple TV ($85 million) to bring Friday night doubleheaders every week throughout the regular season.

It makes sense that WWE would emulate these leagues so as not to be left behind. In the digital age, sports content is becoming a major point of emphasis, given that sports are an easy form of content to produce.

With that being said, traditional television networks now no longer hold a monopoly on sports content. Streaming platforms have emerged as powerful contenders, offering viewers the flexibility and convenience they desire.

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Moving WWE programs like SmackDown to Netflix, Amazon Prime or other services, could be a way to watch like never before, while continuing the ever-growing gap between streaming and cable television.

A WWE show like SmackDown that is not considered traditional sports content, could offer opportunities to explore new ways to consume content.

With Netflix or Amazon Prime, there's no limit to the innovative approaches that could be taken on how consumers could watch WWE's unique brand of content.

By leveraging a streaming service's cutting-edge technology and user-friendly interface, SmackDown could potentially reach new levels of popularity. That's something that a cable network couldn't provide.

Exploring a potential television deal with the likes of Netflix and their over 200 million worldwide subscribers, for instance, signifies WWE's bold step towards adapting to changing viewing habits, as well as expansion.

Such a partnership would provide WWE with an incredible opportunity to potentially broaden its fan base and tap into untapped markets. With Netflix, for example, streaming in 190 countries, it aligns with WWE's goal of global expansion.