Fox Losing Major TV Show as It Moves to USA Network

 A major show on Fox is on the move. WWE and NBCUniversal agreed to a five-year media rights partnership that will bring WWE SmackDown will return to the USA Network. WWE SmackDown will make its USA Network premiere in October 2024, and WWE also announced that it will produce four primetime specials each year that will air on NBC. 

"It's a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU's decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Network's consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership" Frances Berwick, Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement. "With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we'll continue to use the power of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase."  

"NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades," WWE President Nick Khan said in a statement. "We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing SmackDown to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC."  

Along with SmackDown returning to USA, WWE will produce four primetime specials per year that will air on NBC. It will be the first time WWE will air on the network in primetime. "It's a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU's decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Network's consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership," Frances Berwick, Chairman, NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement. "With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we'll continue to use the power of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase."

SmackDown first launched in 1999 and aired on UPN. It then moved to The CW in 2006 before airing on MyNetwork TV in 2008. SyFy became the new home in 2010 before SmackDown left for USA in 2016. In 2019, WWE announced that it was moving to Fox, and the first episode was the 20th anniversary special. 

The SmackDown roster includes John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, and Rey Mysterio. Last week, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appeared on SmackDown, and it was his first appearance on WWE TV since the show's, 20th anniversary special in 2019. Johnson recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and hinted at a possible return to WWE. 

"There's WrestleMania in Philadelphia, I'm saying that that's a potential too, so I'm open," Johnson said. "But again, let's figure out what that is because the fans deserve something just incredible and unprecedented. And not only that, I always want to deliver to the locker room, and the boys and the girls back there that are working their a— off. What can we do that can put them in position to be a part of something that is a new change and era in this world of pro wrestling?"