FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch Says WWE SmackDown Return On Investment Didn’t Meet Discipline Parameters
FOX CEO comments on WWE SmackDown leaving the network.
WWE SmackDown will head to USA Network in October 2024 after the current deal with FOX expires. FOX, which has been the home of WWE SmackDown since 2019, decided to not renew its deal with WWE for SmackDown.
Speaking on the FOX earnings call, FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch commented on the decision to not renew its rights with SmackDown.
“How we analyze the WWE renewal, we look at all of our sports portfolios the same way and all new rights the same way. On the basis of analysis, on both advertising point of view, we weren’t hitting advertising numbers due to the audience of WWE for our return on investment to be above the level we would accept. Also, we didn’t attribute enough retransmission revenue to WWE either. It made sense for us to move on from that. They’ve been a great partner for many years, but quite simply, we’re very disciplined, and the ROI didn’t meet our discipline parameters. We wish them luck and we’ve moved on from them,” he said.
Fans can learn more about WWE SmackDown returning to USA Network in 2024 by clicking here.
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