WWE SmackDown will leave FOX after signing a deal in 2019 and move to the USA Network in 2024.
FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch discussed the network’s decision to not renew WWE SmackDown during a FOX earnings conference call. He said,
“I think we’ve talked about this before but how we analyzed the WWE renewal and we look at all of our sports portfolio in the same way… Based on the analysis, (from) an advertising point of view, we were not hitting the advertising numbers due to the audience of WWE to make the 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. So it made sense for us to move on from them. They’ve been a great partner for many years. But just quite simply, we’re very disciplined and the R.O.I. didn’t meet our disciplined parameters so, we wish them luck and we’ve moved on from them.”
On the Q1 2024 Fox Earnings Conference Call, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch explains why they didn't renew WWE:
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… pic.twitter.com/Hbwqf84tr0
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 2, 2023
