5 reasons why SmackDown going to 3 hours would be a bad idea

With WWE allegedly close to agreeing a $1 billion deal that would see SmackDown move to Fox on a Friday night, there have been rumors circulating that the show could run for 3 hours, just as Raw does on Monday nights.

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Proponents of SmackDown going to 3 hours will no doubt point towards the increase in revenue from the TV deal and therefore the increase in money WWE will have to spend on talents wages, especially as their roster increases with superstars from NXT making the crossover.

But SmackDown as WWE's number 2 show will face problems if it is to extend by an extra hour. Many detractors point towards there being too much wrestling already on TV. With Raw, SmackDown, NXT and 205 live, there is already over 7 hours of wrestling each week, and when there is a pay-per-view, it brings this number up to over 10 hours.

The first temptation for any wrestling fan is to celebrate more wrestling on TV, but does more wrestling on TV really improve the product? Or does it have a detrimental effect? Does it help the talent? Or is it a hindrance?

Here are 5 reasons why SmackDown going to 3 hours would be a bad idea.

#1 Audiences have a short attention span

It has become harder to retain the attention of fans

Modern TV tends to cater to audiences with short attention spans. This should be no different for WWE, who like to think of themselves as being in the entertainment business.

One of the problems with moving to 3 hours from 2, is that it is a long time to be watching anything entertainment related. Most films are not even 3 hours long. To keep the audience attention for the entire 3 hours, in between adverts as well as trying to fill the show with good segments and wrestling, is very difficult.

Add the 3 hours SmackDown could possibly move to, to Raw's 3 hours, then you have 6 hours a week for WWE's main two shows. Ardent wrestling fans will no doubt keep up with this schedule, but the company could lose a lot of its fans purely for the length of each show.

Although Raw is currently 3 hours long, it has long been established as the WWE's number 1 show. SmackDown, however, is not and it could suffer because of this, especially if it is to air on a Friday night, as has been rumored.