Variety is reporting that apart from FOX, Facebook and Amazon are in the running to land Smackdown after NBCUniversal passed on the opportunity to retain the show on USA Network.
With Smackdown moving to a new place, WWE will likely command a bigger fee for the show, and Eric Katz, Senior Analyst for Wells Fargo said the show is due for a big raise “and likely still viewed as a bargain for several players reportedly interested.”
Moving Smackdown to online-only properties such as Facebook or Amazon would be a big risk and most likely the show would lose viewership compared to what it does today. The Mixed Match Challenge earlier this year, a collaboration between WWE and Facebook, was not a home-run success and viewership dwindled as the series progressed.
Variety also added that analysts are projecting the new deal for Monday Night Raw to remain on USA Network will be worth well north of $400 million a year.
