Backstage News on WWE SmackDown Rumors Expanding to Three Hours | WWE news

According to a recent “WrestleVotes” article, WWE plans to increase “WWE SmackDownThe running time of “ to three hours starting in January. This change will take effect on Friday, January 3, 2025, when the extended version of the show airs on USA Network. With this change, “SmackDown” will more closely resemble the “WWE Raw” structure. But in a surprising turn of events, “Raw” will only air for two hours in 2024.

A financial analysis of this development was provided by Dave Meltzer of the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter”. While USA Network pays WWE slightly less per hour ($96.3 million vs. $102.5 million) for “SmackDown” than FOX did, Meltzer claims the additional expense of producing a third hour is usually negligible. Because of this, WWE’s choice to extend the program has low risk but high payoff potential. But there’s still one big problem: Fridays are notoriously difficult to attract viewers because people usually have weekend plans. The key question is whether WWE can draw a sizable third-hour audience, as Friday nights are typically difficult for television ratings.
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The choice to extend “SmackDown” by an hour could potentially impact AEW’s schedule, particularly “AEW Rampage,” which currently airs Fridays at 10 p.m. Growing rumors suggest that if their new TV deal with AEW is signed, Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company behind AEW’s broadcast, may either move “Rampage” to another time slot or drop it altogether .
In addition to these programming changes, WWE’s next-day streaming programming plans have also been detailed. “SmackDown’s” current deal with Hulu it will expire at the end of September 2024. After that, it is expected to move to the Peacock in October, although an exact start date has yet to be confirmed. Starting in January, day two episodes of “SmackDown” will also be available on Netflix alongside “Raw,” according to WrestleVotes. For now, “Raw” will continue to air on Hulu for day-ahead viewers through the end of the year, while The CW will pick up the day-ahead streaming rights for “NXT“from next month.
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