the BUSINESS PAGE
The billion-dollar deal. In perhaps the most consequential business agreement in the history of pro wrestling, the Fox network has acquired the rights to air WWE Smackdown Live beginning in October 2019. Fox will pay WWE $1-billion over the course of five years, breaking down to about $4-million per episode.
This will increase WWE’s bottom line considerably. Let’s put it in perspective: WWE raked in $6.5-million in domestic and international TV rights fees in the first quarter of 2018. As a result of the Fox deal, that figure will rise to approximately $120-million per quarter in domestic rights fees alone. Television rights will now be a much more important aspect of WWE’s business model, with the WWE Network earning $45-million and live events garnering $30-million per quarter.
Essentially, Fox passed on renewing
