The next big WrestleMania deal. Last year, WWE shook up a lot of things by bringing SmackDown over to FOX. This was the biggest television deal in the history of wrestling and one of the most important things to happen to WWE in years. The company was making money hand over fist now and it is a great sign for their financial future. As it turns out, the dealings with FOX weren’t done yet.
Back in 2014, the wrestling world changed with the launch of the WWE Network. The new service offered an unheard of access to WWE, both in modern wrestling and old school content. The biggest draw of them all was having live pay per views every month, including WrestleMania itself included in the rather cheaply priced offer. Now, someone else is getting in on the WrestleMania pot.
FOX Sports has issued a press release announcing a new agreement with WWE to air both WrestleMania and other WWE content on their FOX Sports and FOXNOW apps. WrestleMania 36 will be available on the apps for $59.99 (total for both nights). In addition, Fox Sports 1 will air a variety of WWE content, including the 2020 Royal Rumble, one hour editions of past WrestleManias, plus series like WWE 24 and Best Of specials on various superstars. There is no word on if more WWE pay per views will be available on the apps going forward. WrestleMania will be available on the WWE Network as usual.
There is a lot to be seen from this. Check out some of the previous WrestleManias that will be included:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIjHQ8s6gv8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnR0uBnjms0
Opinion: This is something that sounds good for all parties involved. WWE gets a check from FOX as well as another link between the two companies, FOX could get some money and content out of the deal, and the fans with the WWE Network don’t have to pay any more money. The sports world is in a weird place at the moment and fresh content is key. WWE has a ton of it available and they’re cashing in.
Which side gets the best out of the deal? What does it mean for WWE’s relationship with FOX? Let us know in the comments below.
Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!