Backstage reason why FOX didn't renew $1-billion SmackDown contract with WWE - Reports

SmackDown will no longer be on FOX as of October 2024. At the time, the five-year, one-billion-dollar deal was the biggest broadcast deal that WWE had ever signed, and that has now been dwarfed by the incredible RAW-Netflix deal worth five billion dollars over ten years. The possible reason for FOX not renewing the deal has been revealed.

The blue brand will be returning to the USA Network later this year once the five-year deal with FOX comes to an end. NBC Universal, the company under which the USA Network is based, has had a long-standing, positive relationship with WWE. While the aforementioned FOX deal worked out to $200 million a year (approximately $3,846,153 per episode), the new USA Network deal will see WWE collect a whopping $1.4 billion over four years, which makes it approximately $280 million a year or $5,384,615 per episode.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated on X/Twitter that the reason why FOX didn't renew their deal with WWE for SmackDown was because they didn't want to match the $280 million a year that the USA Network offered. He stated that they didn't kick WWE out, but they were simply outbid.

Check out the tweet below:

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How do people backstage in WWE view SmackDown's return to the USA Network?

The broadcast deals have been among WWE's biggest sources of revenue, and the RAW-Netflix deal is an example of how important it is in securing WWE's future.

WWE insiders told Sportskeeda Wrestling's Dr. Chris Featherstone that people backstage were happy with SmackDown's move to the USA Network, calling it a smart business decision.

There are going to be numerous network changes for WWE as RAW will no longer be on the USA Network, the current broadcasting partner for the red brand. Nick Khan is believed to be among the main figures spearheading these incredibly lucrative broadcast deals.