Kemo
09-22-2023, 09:05 PM
As WWE continues to pursue media rights deals, they will also take content off certain platforms. The Disney-owned streaming service Hulu, which has featured past episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, is set to lose the rights to the content.
A fan noticed and shared on Twitter that episodes from WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown on Hulu were set to expire next week. Hulu's Customer Support Twitter account responded to reveal that the WWE streaming deal with the service is set to end.
"...Our streaming rights to WWE content are currently set to expire, but we'll certainly share your interest in seeing them stay in our library with our team. For now, we suggest adding the shows in your My Stuff to be notified of any updates," wrote Hulu Support.
The news of Hulu losing the rights to WWE programming comes at an interesting time, as WWE secured a new deal with NBCUniversal on Sep. 21. After four years with Fox, TKO Group Holding announced that WWE signed a five-year deal which sources close to The Wall Street Journal reports is valued at roughly $1.4 billion for Friday Night Smackdown to be on the USA Network starting October 2024. WSJ's Joe Flint also shared that Monday Night Raw and NXT are not expected to be renewed by NBCUniversal, with WWE looking for a deal for the two brands.
For Hulu, The New York Times's Benjamin Mullin reported that Comcast and Disney are looking to speed up the process of Comcast selling their minority stake in Hulu to Disney. It's expected that the process could conclude by January 2024.
Comcast has its streaming service, as NBCUniversal has Peacock, which currently has the rights to WWE's library and premium live events. WWE has three years left on the deal, as it's a five-year deal signed in 2021 worth over $1 billion, according to Sports Illustrated's Jenna West.
As NBCUniversal continues to build its streaming service, it's possible WWE could add more recent episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown to Peacock. The streaming service is currently a month behind on both brands' episodes.
It's unclear if NBCUniversal has a deal that will allow that or if they would have to restructure the streaming rights deal with WWE. However, WWE content exclusively on Peacock would bring more attention to the service for people who miss weekly WWE programming.
A fan noticed and shared on Twitter that episodes from WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown on Hulu were set to expire next week. Hulu's Customer Support Twitter account responded to reveal that the WWE streaming deal with the service is set to end.
"...Our streaming rights to WWE content are currently set to expire, but we'll certainly share your interest in seeing them stay in our library with our team. For now, we suggest adding the shows in your My Stuff to be notified of any updates," wrote Hulu Support.
The news of Hulu losing the rights to WWE programming comes at an interesting time, as WWE secured a new deal with NBCUniversal on Sep. 21. After four years with Fox, TKO Group Holding announced that WWE signed a five-year deal which sources close to The Wall Street Journal reports is valued at roughly $1.4 billion for Friday Night Smackdown to be on the USA Network starting October 2024. WSJ's Joe Flint also shared that Monday Night Raw and NXT are not expected to be renewed by NBCUniversal, with WWE looking for a deal for the two brands.
For Hulu, The New York Times's Benjamin Mullin reported that Comcast and Disney are looking to speed up the process of Comcast selling their minority stake in Hulu to Disney. It's expected that the process could conclude by January 2024.
Comcast has its streaming service, as NBCUniversal has Peacock, which currently has the rights to WWE's library and premium live events. WWE has three years left on the deal, as it's a five-year deal signed in 2021 worth over $1 billion, according to Sports Illustrated's Jenna West.
As NBCUniversal continues to build its streaming service, it's possible WWE could add more recent episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown to Peacock. The streaming service is currently a month behind on both brands' episodes.
It's unclear if NBCUniversal has a deal that will allow that or if they would have to restructure the streaming rights deal with WWE. However, WWE content exclusively on Peacock would bring more attention to the service for people who miss weekly WWE programming.