News: The WWE has finished its exclusive negotiating window with Fox and Comcast/USA Network without a new deal, The Post has learned.
This is not surprising, because most major deals go to the open market, even if the incumbents remain the favorites. We would maintain at this point that Fox, with “Friday Night Smackdown,” and USA, with “Monday Night Raw,” remain most likely to re-up; that is usually the common thought at these points in deals that have been wins for both sides.
However, to quote the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, “Everybody’s got a price.”
The current deals are each five years. Comcast pays $265 million per year to put “Monday Night Raw” on USA Network, while Fox doles out $205 million per year for “Friday Night Smackdown.” These contracts run until Oct. 2024.