Backstage Update On Reports Of WWE SmackDown Moving To Three Hours

WWE will look to add a third hour to "WWE SmackDown" at the start of the new year, according to a new report from "WrestleVotes." USA Network will broadcast the new three-hour version of "SmackDown" beginning Friday, January 3, 2025. This would be more in line with how USA airs episodes of "WWE Raw" (which, in a slight deviation, are being cut down to two hours for the remainder of 2024).

Dave Meltzer of the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" broke down the financials of "SmackDown"'s expansion, claiming that although USA pays WWE less per hour for "Smackdown" than FOX did ($96.3 million vs. $102.5 million) the costs of producing a third hour of wrestling compared to two is usually minimal, making it relatively low-risk, high-reward on the WWE side. However, the big question with Fridays is always how many people will actually sit down and watch, with that night being a notoriously difficult one to attract a TV viewing audience in general.

It's also believed this third hour of "SmackDown" could directly impact "AEW Rampage," which currently airs Fridays at 10 pm. There's speculation that Warner Brothers Discovery could move "Rampage," or drop it entirely once their new TV deal with AEW is announced. The "Observer" also released WWE's programming schedule relating to next-day streaming, running up to and through the beginning of the year. Firstly, "SmackDown"'s current deal with Hulu expires at the end of September, and will jump to Peacock sometime in October, although the exact start date is unknown. Then, when "Raw" begins airing on Netflix in January, so too will next-day episodes of "Smackdown," according to WrestleVotes. For now, "Raw"'s next-day streaming will remain on Hulu through the remainder of the year, and The CW will acquire "NXT"'s next-day rights next month.