What does the future hold for the relationship between the WWE and FOX? Neither side knows. Lachlan Murdoch has said his company is ready to negotiate an extension to the TV rights for SmackDown, but the WWE has yet to come to the table.
“From a rights point of view, we’re focused on the rights renewal,” the FOX CEO said Thursday at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference according to Fightful. “We haven’t engaged with them on the rights yet, we’re ready to engage with them when they ask and they’re ready. Ultimately, our appetite for renewal depends on what happens with the rest of our sports portfolio.”
What is keeping the WWE away from the negotiating table right now is an effort to sell the company. Vince McMahon is said to want $9 billion. In January, WWE President Nick Khan told Bill Simmons that a sale would have to close before the company begins discussing its next contract with FOX.
FOX has been the home of WWE SmackDown on Friday nights since 2019. Murdoch says that FOX has been happy with the relationship and hopes that it will continue after the company is sold.
“They have been great partners,” he said. “They’ve been great partners throughout our relationship. If they ultimately sell the business, I hope the acquirer will be as great as they’ve been. I hope the management team stays intact there. They’ve done a tremendous job.”
Other media companies have been mentioned as potential suitors for the WWE. Should Comcast or Disney end up acquiring the company, it stands to reason that it would want to move SmackDown off of FOX and on to one of their respective networks.
Would ABC bid on it or if ESPN bid might they put it on FX that is the only outlet I could see NBC does not need it and should not spend the extra money and it is not a great fit for CBS WBD has their own wrestling programing and this is a two party bid in my opinion