WWE News: Major Plans For Friday Night SmackDown Move To USA Network Revealed
The WWE SmackDown brand will be transitioning to USA Network later this year, and there is some big news stemming from the move.
Friday Night SmackDown currently airs on FOX in the United States. The blue brand will be moving to the USA Network in October 2024. This will be part of a five-year, $1.4 billion deal, which will also include four primetime annual specials on NBC.
While the exact day WWE SmackDown will air weekly with the network change isn't official, there is a reported direction.
Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that someone from WWE informed him last month that the current plan is for SmackDown to remain on Friday nights once the show starts airing on USA Network this fall. Meltzer made it clear that this isn't a lock, however, but it is the word floating around at the moment.
WWE has enjoyed great success on FOX in terms of viewership. With that said, FOX was said to have not extended the deal for Friday Night SmackDown due to a lack of key advertisers willing to pay big money for commercial spots on the wrestling program.
SmackDown isn't the only WWE show making moves in the future. Netflix will be the new home of WWE Raw beginning in 2025. Monday Night Raw's deal with USA Network will end on Oct. 1, and the brand will need a temporary home before the Netflix move kicks in. WWE's developmental brand NXT will join the CW Network in October 2024.
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