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VARIETY LOOKS AT ALL THE SPECULATION AS TO THE FUTURE OF WWE TV RIGHTS & OWNERSHIP, STEPHANIE, TRIPLE H & MORE COMMENT

By Mike Johnson on 2018-01-22 12:01:00

With all eyes on tonight's WWE Raw 25th Anniversary broadcast from New York City on the USA Network (which will certainly bang a huge audience for WWE), Variety featured a piece today looking at WWE's future as they begin to navigate their next move in terms of television rights, featuring quotes from Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Chris McCumber, president of Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.

Triple H noted that it's "an exciting time" for WWE, given the Raw Anniversary and the potential for WWE programming moving forward. 

The article noted the potential of FOX making a major move for WWE programming after not coming to terms with UFC, allowing UFC the chance to negotiate elsewhere for a new deal.  With FOX looking to be flush with tons of money after selling off major portions of their entertainment empire to Disney, that would allow them quite the budget to attempt to acquire WWE TV rights.

NBCUniversal's McCumber, noted the importance of WWE programming for the USA Network, hinting that NBC was not ready to give up the WWE ghost just yet.  McCumber praised WWE, commenting, "Live viewing, especially these days with a lot of time-shifting going on, allows you to have a pretty big platform, which has a halo effect across the entire network.”  

McCumber also pointed to how USA has used WWE to help launch their own original programing, noting, "WWE’s audience is a real microcosm of all of America, and it really does a great job of bringing that audience into USA.  It’s important to be able to have that symbiotic relationship between the audience and the rest of the schedule."

The idea of moving WWE programming off traditional cable was not strongly supported by Stephanie McMahon in the piece.  "“We leverage a content ecosystem, so at the moment, it is absolutely relevant and necessary to have [our content] on linear platforms,” said McMahon. “It is still reaching a broad audience and it’s still our most profitable line of business. One piece doesn’t work without the other. Ultimately, would ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown’ go to the WWE Network? Maybe. But that’s certainly not where we are now.”

The article also noted the speculation that someone could come in and purchase WWE outright, similar to WME-IMG buying UFC.    No one from WWE commented on that, but Triple H did provide insight into the company strategy as the media landscape continues to wildly shift.

“If you had that crystal ball that tells you where TV, digital, social and all that will end up in 20 years, invest in it, because you’ve got the answer that nobody has,” said Triple H. “But that’s why leveraging in all those areas and platforms is the best place to be. We’re covered everywhere.”

Obviously, WWE will go to where the money is and if that money is beyond traditional cable for a new broadcast home, that's where WWE will end up.  Interestingly, according to Variety, both Amazon and Facebook have shown interest in Raw and Smackdown "media rights."

To read the complete article, click here.

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