The professional wrestling industry is actively undergoing a slow burn paradigm shift. The continued success of WWE as well as the rise of AEW and the reemergence of NJPW has led the squared circle world into a new golden age. New Japan has expanded into the United States with the launch of NJPW Strong. AEW is set to run its first-ever stadium show in August. WWE just sold itself to Endeavor for over $9 billion. All of these big moves have yet to show their long-term effects, with WWE’s sale being the most evident. That said, the sports-entertainment giant could be inching closer to revealing the biggest byproduct of its sale.
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According to New York Post, WWE’s exclusive television rights negotiations window with current broadcast partners NBCUniversal and FOX has ended. This leaves WWE free to shop Monday Night Raw, WWE NXT, and WWE SmackDown to any potential suitors across the market.
New York Post sources report that Disney is among the interested parties. The house of mouse’s empire stretches across the entertainment industry, as the multi-billion dollar company owns popular brands Marvel and Star Wars while also having massive platforms like Hulu and ESPN. While WWE has partnered with ESPN in the past for one-off projects, a WWE TV deal with Disney would reportedly put live in-ring broadcasts on FX instead of the worldwide leader in sports. This is due to ESPN having too many game commitments and a constantly evolving weekly TV schedule.
The report adds that Amazon “will be in talks” for WWE content. What once was an online bookstore has rapidly evolved into the world’s largest online retailer, and the company entered the streaming service game in 2016. Recent years have seen Prime Video tap into live broadcasts, most notably in the form of Thursday Night Football, which it acquired for $1 billion per year. If Amazon CEO Andy Jassy pursues the squared circle as aggressively as the gridiron, WWE could end up under Amazon’s umbrella.
“Conversations with both have gone phenomenally well,” WWE CEO Nick Khan said of prior negotiations with WWE’s current partners. “What we’re trying to balance here is getting the maximum value for what we consider these media rights to be.”
WWE’s current media rights deals with NBCUniversal and FOX extend until Fall 2024. Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT both air on the USA Network while WWE SmackDown broadcasts on FOX.
