Thread: WWE Summer Cleaning 2021
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Old 08-07-2021, 03:17 AM   #320
Emperor Smeat
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slik View Post
I concur on Sapp
Supposedly FOX has been growing more upset with WWE in recent times. Not enough for them to suddenly pull the plug on their tv deal but something that could easily come back to haunt WWE when it comes time for the next round of tv deals.

Mix of the recent waves of talent releases baffling them in terms of some of the names gone, them losing interest in promoting non-SmackDown stuff on their network and properties, and them growing upset over WWE's deal with Peacock since they feel NBC has been benefiting way more than they have with their deals with WWE.

Both PWInsider and Observer have also recently mentioned chatter from their sources about the growing unrest at FOX over their WWE deal.

This was from this week's Newsletter about FOX:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Observer Newsletter
In the promotion of FOX’s Tubi streaming service when touting sports available, it has been very notable no mention of WWE. From the point of WWE selling its PPVs to Peacock it has been a major issue with FOX that their television show is promoting the key events being on Peacock, the streaming service of NBC
This was from a recent Q&A article on PWI over similar issues they've heard about:

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWI
Q - When they announced the deal in 2018, WWE personalities were all over FOX shows, they had the WWE Backstage show, there was all this synergy and now, there’s really nothing except for a podcast. I get the pandemic happened but really, it seems like it’s gone cold except for Smackdown replays in the middle of the night on FS1, 2, etc. Did I miss something?

A - No, you aren’t alone in noticing that. As Dave Scherer and I have discussed in recent weeks on The We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Name Show in our Elite section, there’s been talk in the FOX circles about some unhappiness with WWE. Some sources have pointed to the idea that Smackdown is a FOX property that FOX is paying basically around a billion dollars over five years for but that show ends up streaming on Peacock, an NBCUniversal property now that they have licensed the WWE Network. Beyond that, all the PPVs being built on Smackdown have storylines that culminate on Peacock as well, which effectively means a FOX show that FOX pays for is pushing people to a NBC Universal property. That’s probably at least part of the reason why we saw the Roman Reigns-Rey Mysterio Hell In A Cell bout shifted over to Smackdown. WWE is trying to serve two TV masters at the same time, so there's going to be a pull from each side.

As you mentioned, a lot of the ancillary programming disappeared and so did a lot of FOX’s promotion for WWE and Smackdown. I just checked and the last time FOX Sports issued a press release for something WWE related was this past March and previously, it was January. Certainly if FOX wanted WWE to produce something out of their virtual studio for them, you’d think WWE would jump right on that - that’s common sense. Certainly there’s a big difference from how FOX was pushing the property when they first signed their agreement, for sure. Part of that, however, was the pandemic. Whether they ramp up more, I don't know.
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