PWInsider.com reports that Kairi Sane may return at WWE Crown Jewel tomorrow.
FOX’s loss of WWE’s SmackDown in 2024 left many WWE fans stunned and curious about the future of RAW and NXT. The news of the blue brand’s departure from FOX, its home for the past four years, has brought to light underlying issues in the partnership that have been brewing for some time. Speculations were confirmed when FOX’s CEO, Lachlan Murdoch, shed light on the reasons behind the split during the Q1 2024 Earnings Conference Call. The primary cause of the separation boiled down to a failure to meet anticipated advertising targets, which ultimately impacted FOX’s return on investment.
Despite the high value of ad space during WWE SmackDown broadcasts, it was revealed that the show fell short of the expected advertising numbers, making it challenging for FOX to derive the desired return on their investment. This, coupled with a lack of significant retransmission revenue attributed to WWE, led to the conclusion that the partnership was no longer sustainable for FOX. The strain had become apparent earlier in the year, as SmackDown’s absence from a 2024 schedule promotion hinted at the impending separation.
In light of these developments, WWE announced SmackDown’s upcoming move to the USA Network, marking a return to its former home from 2016 to 2019. The shift is part of a substantial $1.4 billion deal with NBCUniversal, which also includes the introduction of quarterly primetime specials on NBC. WWE CEO Nick Khan expressed excitement about the new collaboration, highlighting NBCUniversal’s long-standing relationship with WWE over the years. Despite SmackDown’s departure, the USA Network will continue to be the broadcasting home for WWE NXT and WWE Monday Night Raw, ensuring a continuation of WWE’s programming on the network.
“We were not hitting the advertising numbers due to the audience of the WWE to make…to return for our return on investment to be above the levels that we would accept. But also, we didn’t attribute enough significant retransmission revenue to the WWE either.”
