Tag: FOX

WWE Reportedly Has “Agreed In Principle” To Bring Smackdown Live To FOX In October 2019

Smackdown Live

ESPN.com is reporting that WWE has an agreement in principle with FOX, described as a “massive” offer, to bring SmackDown Live to the network in October of 2019.

WWE representatives declined to comment on the story, while any representatives for FOX were not immediately reached at the time of the report on Monday morning.

A report last week by the Hollywood Reporter indicated NBC Universal was interested in retaining Monday Night RAW for “triple the rights fee amount”, all the while declining the option to renew SmackDown Live which airs live every Tuesday on the USA Network.

SmackDown Live has been averaging 2.59 million viewers per week in 2018 and has been part of the NBC Universal family on cable since October of 2010, airing first on the SyFy network and then moving to the USA Network in 2016.

Back in February, FOX executives attended a Smackdown Live taping in Los Angeles including on-air personality Colin Cowherd. Not long later, Cowherd hinted on air that WWE programming was “coming to a network near you.”

We will continue to follow this story as it develops.

Source: WrestleView

FOX May Partner With ESPN For UFC Television Rights Bid

Over the past several months, there have been discussions of WWE potentially ending their relationship with USA in order to commence a partnership with FOX. WWE’s deal with NBC Universal expires on September 30, 2019, and CFO George Barrios said that the company hopes to announce their U.S. distribution plans between May and September of this year. In late 2017, Triple H had a meeting with executives of FOX Sports to potentially rekindle a partnership. WWE worked with the company in the past, airing a couple of episodes of Saturday Night’s Main Event, as well as a WrestleMania 11 special in 1995.

To make the bidding war more competitive, Variety reports that ESPN has partnered up with rival FOX Sports to bid for television rights for UFC. The two companies have recently proposed to split the UFC TV package, which would bring as many as 15 fight events to the new subscription streaming service, ESPN+. As a company, ESPN has agreed that it would be willing to pay $120-180 million per year to add UFC to the collection of live-event rights. In addition, FOX is willing to increase their contribution from $120 million to $200 million.

The effort in ESPN partnering with FOX aims to turn around the decline in UFC interest, as ratings dropped 22% in average total viewers from last year, falling to just under 2 million. The UFC Fight Night specials on FS1 also fell 17%, averaging 795,000 viewers.

In 2011, FOX signed a seven-year deal with UFC, which expires this year. A partnership with ESPN would keep the relationship with FOX and UFC alive, particularly since FOX is in the transition of selling the bulk of its entertainment divisions to Disney. In addition, this partnership would be a stronger presentation in the potential bidding war with WWE. The $200 million dollar bid from FOX to secure the UFC TV rights is far lower than the asking price of Endeavor, UFC’s parent company.

Source: WrestlingINC

Reason Why John Cena Has Taken Time Off From WWE

The reason why John Cena has taken time off from WWE is that he will be starring in a new reality TV project. There has been rumors that he was working on a reality show, Cena has now confirmed the rumors.

Cena will be hosting a new reality series for FOX called “American Grit.” It will feature 16 contestants that go through military and survival-themed challenges.

 

Pro Wrestling Drama Coming To FOX

Deadline.com reports that FOX has recently purchased a new pro wrestling drama titled, The Work.

The Work takes place in the world of pro wrestling and was written by Scott O’Connor, who wrote the novels Half World and Untouchable. The script was shopped around to various cable networks, but it was FOX who picked it up.

O’Connor has been a pro wrestling fan and wrote a article on Brock Lesnar this past August for New York Times Magazine.

Source: WrestlingINC.com