It’s no secret that WWE SmackDown will be moving to FOX Network later this year and the show is expected to see some changes when it switches channels.
One of the biggest rumors about SmackDown’s move is that it will also be stretched out to three hour upon its FOX debut, similar to its counterpart Raw.
During the recent 2019 Quarter one earning call, Co-President George Barrios was asked about the direction for the Blue Branded Show and he said that they will figure out the best way to monetize their sixth hour in coming months:
“We’ve been monetizing some way, shape or form six hours of content for a long time. Today, that sixth hour is primarily being used on the network and we’ll figure out here over the next several months, what we think the best use of, nothing to update now.”
The sixth hour Barrios talked about is 205 Live. The cruiserweight exclusive show which airs on WWE Network right after the SmackDown Live broadcast ends.
While there doesn’t appear to be any immediate plan of canceling the show and utilizing the extra hour for SmackDown instead, the WWE Officials comment make it clear that they are at least considering this possibility.
With the company reporting a loss in their first quarter it’s possible that they are looking around for new revenue sources and adding a third hour to SmackDown can certainly increase their income.
Whether or not this actually happens will be revealed when the time for the move comes but all these reports do seem to indicate that this is a strong possibility.
