From the WWE Rumor Mill: Update On SmackDown Live Possibly Becoming A Three-hour Show
What’s the story?
On an edition of the Wrestling Observer Radio, the possibility of SmackDown Live becoming a three-hour show was expounded upon.
Apparently, NBC Universal’s rumored decision of only bidding for Monday Night RAW, and not SmackDown Live; could have a butterfly effect and lead to SmackDown Live becoming a three-hour show.
In case you didn’t know…
While Monday Night RAW has, for long, been the WWE’s flagship television show—SmackDown commenced as the promotion’s secondary show in 1999.
In subsequent years, Monday Night RAW went from a two-hour format to be a 3-hour show; whereas SmackDown remains a two-hour show till date.
The heart of the matter
Addressing the WWE’s ongoing television deal negotiations with NBC Universal as well as other networks, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio alluded that NBC Universal are primarily interested in acquiring a deal with WWE to broadcast Monday Night RAW, whilst not displaying a similar level of interest in SmackDown Live.
Meltzer added that as regards WWE’s TV deal, there are a lot of different factors at play with a lot of different people.
Additionally, Meltzer elucidated that if a TV station looks to acquire SmackDown Live, they’d probably like for WWE to present SmackDown as a 3-hour show.
Furthermore, Meltzer explained that given how Amazon and Facebook are looking to acquire the broadcasting rights for SmackDown Live, if SmackDown does end up on a streaming service there is no telling whether it’d be a 2-hour or 3-hour show.
What’s next?
While experts believe that NBC Universal are likely to acquire broadcasting rights for Monday Night RAW, the belief is that SmackDown Live could end up on a different network.
Sportskeeda will keep fans updated on the details regarding WWE’s TV deals in the days to come.
Author’s take
The WWE’s strategy concerning its TV deals for RAW and SmackDown has been excellent thus far.
Nevertheless, it’d be great to see SmackDown Live remain a two-hour show rather than put forth a lengthy show on Tuesday night after having already aired three hours of RAW the previous night.