The Company Town section of the Los Angeles Times reveals that WWE SmackDown! will be relocating to cable come next season.
According to the story, the plan is for SmackDown! to move to SyFy in late September or early October. The deal, estimated to be worth $30 million per year, will further the synergy between WWE and NBC Universal–by next season, three of WWE’s four broadcast shows (SD, RAW and NXT) will be part of the NBC Universal cable family.
Many are thus speculating that the SmackDown! move is another sign of WWE possibly partnering with NBC Universal in launching its cable network down the road.
SmackDown! will continue to air on Friday nights.
On My Network TV, WWE is receiving an estimated $20 million/year for SmackDown. As the network’s profile does not mirror that of the five key broadcast networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX and The CW), SmackDown’s presence on a “broadcast network” was beginning to mean less and less.
From a ratings perspective, however, the show is still performing solidly, averaging about 3.5 million viewers per week.
