mmajunkie.com/2018/05/ufc-espn-deal-five-biggest-questions

I'm including this in the WWE Forum, because so much of the speculation around WWE's TV deal has been rooted in UFC's deal.

With FOX now open, my gut says that's where Vince is headed next year.

What say you?

I hate the idea of it going to FS1 & 2. To me, I think FX is the better home for both shows.

May 9, 2018 18:14:25 GMT CM Punk'd said:

I hate the idea of it going to FS1 & 2. To me, I think FX is the better home for both shows.

I wouldn’t be shocked if Raw ends up on FOX a proper. Broadcast TV, two hours, and an emphasis on ratings. Could be a blessing.

RAW is on Fox8 on Australia, and has been for years so there at least friendly in the international market. I assume it will stay on same channel here if deal goes through here I hope, I don’t want to pay for the sports channels 😂.

Thinking back, Fox played a huge part in me losing interest in the WWE. I've already touched on the SmackDown and PPV debacle in the early 00s, but they kept moving Raw around. Originally it had the perfect time-slot of 8:00pm on a Tuesday Night on FoxSports 1. Then it went to Fox 8 and they put it on Friday Nights head to head with either the NRL or AFL, so it was never going to draw. They eventually moved it to Wednesday afternoons which was better, but usually I couldn't watch it because of sporting commitments or general school commitments. Usually it meant I wouldn't watch any WWE unless I caught the Sunday afternoon replay which was usually a great lead-in to the footy.

I'm excited for the new deal. I'm sure the WWE will look to up their game and Fox may even cut Raw down to two hours which has been desperately needed for 6 years now.

This is only the U.S. deal, though ... it shouldn't impact anyone else.

But god ... if this leads to two hours, it'll be the greatest thing ever.

Looks like SD! is going to Fox starting next October under a 5-year deal. It's back to Friday nights though?

www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/23562745/fox-reaches-agreement-air-wwe-smackdown-live

Friday? Shit, that must mean it's going back to being taped.

I wouldn't pay a BILLION for any taped bullshit. Create a shit product and win prizes. Vince will never listen to fans lol...

The thought of Disney essentially getting the rights to air WWE television is crazy.

Was it Big Stan who always used to post back in the day about his WWE stock? He'd be lovin' LAIF today.

For a TV deal this big, they can afford to tape live in non-consecutive nights.

May 22, 2018 2:51:07 GMT KJ said:

For a TV deal this big, they can afford to tape live in non-consecutive nights.

Not to mention that the whole reason the deal is so big is because live TV (and especially live "sport") is so valued by networks because it's the only time people see ads these days. 

SD is going to Fox in Oct. 2019. It will also be 3 hours...

May 22, 2018 12:24:34 GMT Mistress said:

SD is going to Fox in Oct. 2019. It will also be 3 hours...

Aye Carumba!

LOL just make WWE part of a 24 hr news cycle.

RAW at 3 hours, plus overrun.
SmackDown going to 3 hours in 2019.
I'm hearing Pay Per Views will start running close to four hours starting with Money in the Bank.
And rumors that NXT may go 2 hours soon.

I wonder if WWE will start bringing in even more talent to fill all that time up.

May 22, 2018 17:52:11 GMT CM Punk'd said:

RAW at 3 hours, plus overrun.
SmackDown going to 3 hours in 2019.
I'm hearing Pay Per Views will start running close to four hours starting with Money in the Bank.
And rumors that NXT may go 2 hours soon.

I wonder if WWE will start bringing in even more talent to fill all that time up.

Nope. They will fill it with long pointless promos and segments