WWE SmackDown will find itself back in familiar territory next year.
Upon completion of its current agreement with FOX, WWE SmackDown will move back to the USA Network as a part of a new five-year television deal. Earlier today, WWE revealed that they have signed a five-year domestic media rights agreement with NBCUniversal that will see its Friday night SmackDown programming return to the USA Network beginning in October 2024. WWE will also host four primetime specials on NBC per year beginning in the 2024-2025 television season. This will serve as WWE’s debut on the network in a primetime capacity.
“NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades,” WWE President Nick Khan said. “We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing SmackDown to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC.”
NBCUniversal Entertainment Chairman Frances Berwick echoed similar sentiments, expressing her excitement for their partnership to expand. “It’s a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU’s decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Network’s consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership,” Berwick said. “With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we’ll continue to use the power of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase.”
Next year will mark SmackDown’s first broadcast on the USA Network since September 2019 — the month before it joined the FOX Network. Prior to WWE’s TV agreement with FOX, SmackDown had been running on the USA Network since January 2016.
WWE’s other two weekly television shows — Raw and NXT — will continue to broadcast on USA Network through September 2024. WrestleZone will provide more details on those television deals as they become available.
