Cash Out? FOX Reportedly Losing A Fortune By Airing WWE SmackDown

That’s a lot of money. We are in the middle of one of the most important periods in the history of WWE, as the company may be sold at some point in the near future. That is going to shake things up in WWE in a huge way, likely including when it comes to their television deals. WWE’s television deals are set to expire next year, and it seems one of them is not doing so well.

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According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a Morgan Stanley study found that FOX is losing over $100 million a year by airing SmackDown under the current deal with WWE. In the 2020-21 television season, FOX paid $196.7 million for SmackDown and reported losses of $134 million. In 2021-22, those numbers increased to $208.5 million paid and $145 million in losses.

These losses are expected to get worse in the final two years of the deal. The belief is that there are not enough wrestling fans to make up the difference, as the show draws the lowest ad revenue of any show in its slot. It is not clear if FOX is interested in bringing WWE back on a new deal.

There has been some great stuff from SmackDown on FOX. Check out some of its better moments:

Opinion: This could be quite the game changer for the upcoming deals, but there is certainly something to be said for the idea of WWE taking less money to stay on FOX. Being on a network instead of cable makes the show feel that much more important and if WWE can make it happen, it will make them look good. FOX does not want to lose money of course, but there could be a balance in the middle that makes this whole thing work.