One huge change will be made to WWE Friday Night SmackDown at the start of 2025.
WWE programming is already on the move with SmackDown returning to the USA Network after its deal with FOX expired earlier this month. In January, the Monday Night Raw brand will be transitioning to the Netflix streaming service. WWE’s developmental show, NXT, will also have a new home with the CW Network.
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If the shift in TV networks wasn’t enough for WWE fans to get acclimated to, there is also reportedly a major change on the way for the blue brand. Depending on who you ask, it’s either a positive or a negative.
WWE SmackDown Reportedly Getting Extra Hour
Popular X account WrestleVotes is reporting that the USA Network will be giving Friday Night SmackDown an extra hour beginning in January 2025. The timeframe lines up with WWE Raw’s debut on Netflix. When the red brand moves to streaming the show will remain as three hours as well.
SmackDown had stayed at two hours while under the FOX deal and was not given an overrun due to the local news. While many experts felt an overrun was possible with the USA Network move, rumblings of an extra hour had not surfaced until recently.
Back in 2019, WWE signed a five-year deal to air SmackDown on FOX. In the early stages of the partnership, SmackDown was heavily sports-influenced. The show featured appearances from the likes of former UFC champion Cain Velasquez and heavyweight boxing star Tyson Fury.
The focus shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic with WWE in cost-cutting mode. Despite high viewership totals, FOX decided not to maintain the rights to air live WWE programming. It’s been said that FOX wasn’t getting enough high-paying advertising for SmackDown to justify keeping the show.