WWE Set to Lose International Television Deal

In a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it is revealed that WWE is set to lose its television deal in France. On July 4, its deal with the NT1 network will expire, and the French network is unlikely to pursue a renewal of the deal. Though, the expiration of the deal may be good news for WWE, as the company will still have a cable and satellite presence in France.

Beginning in November of 2006, WWE programming came to NT1, only showcasing “Smackdown.” Due to its success, “Monday Night Raw” began to air in July of 2007. Things were going well for WWE until 2010, when new ownership came to the network. Ownership did not see professional wrestling in its vision, as the ratings dropped.

Less than two years later, in 2012, WWE programming was no longer in primetime on NT1. In fact, in 2014, there were times when WWE programming was limited to being show at 4 a.m. on the weekends.

As mentioned before, the expiration of the deal may very well be perceived as good news for WWE. Its deal with NT1 was one of the many contributors to its low network revenue, which was a factor in WWE releasing 11 members of its talent.

Editor’s Note

It does seem that it’s best for WWE that this deal with NT1 is set to expire, as things really got bad following the arrival of new ownership to the network.