Smackdown reportedly could see a major change that gets it more inline with Monday Night Raw broadcasts.
WWE CEO Nick Khan is open to all sorts of ideas as he looks to enhance the brand, its reach, and its revenue streams. For basically forever, the only changes to SmackDown have primarily been with personnel and the sets-no shock there.
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We have seen the show move nights and networks, too. But could the overall format see a major shift soon?
Could WWE SmackDown get a third hour like Monday Night Raw?
According to Nick Khan, the idea of a third hour being added to WWE Smackdown broadcasts is not out of the question. RAW, by comparison, has been running for three hours for over a decade. Putting options like a change in night, and an increase in television time is significant, considering what is coming up.
WWE, hot on the heels of their purchase by Endeavor, is staring at a massive TV rights negotiation. The same negotiation was a huge part of why Vince McMahon insisted on pushing his way back into the boardroom.
So, as WWE works to see if RAW and Smackdown will stay put or get new homes with Nick Khan basically announcing that the blue brand doesn’t have to stay as a two-hour Friday show? It makes things interesting, for sure.
Networks like USA and FOX can afford to pay out billions for the television rights for WWE in part because of the ad revenue. They expect to continue to pull in hundreds of thousands of viewers per week, which lets them charge nice sums for ad time.
So, if the blue show added an hour that would be quite a few more minutes of ad time. And, while money is surely a major factor, as fans, we know that roster depth is incredible right now. Another hour of televised Smackdown means a few more matches per week, which isn’t bad either.
