Posted in: Hulu, Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: fox, hulu, streaming, USA Network, wwe

WWE Content Streaming Rights "Currently Set to Expire" at Hulu

In a reponse to a question on social media, Hulu confirmed that its WWE content streaming rights were "currently set to expire" soon.

Published Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:37:08 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Earlier today, a big question about the future of WWE Friday Night SmackDown was answered when the WWE and NBCUniversal announced a five-year deal domestic media rights deal (reportedly in the $1.4B range) that sees the program leaving FOX in October 2024 for its new home at USA Network (with the WWE set to produce four NBC primetime specials per year). And while USA Network has WWE Monday Night Raw locked in until September 2024, there are reportedly a number of players looking to pitch for those Raw rights. On the streaming side, we learned that the WWE has an exclusive deal with Peacock that runs through 2026 – which may explain what Hulu subscribers read when they went looking for WWE content.

A number of folks online noted that the pro-wrestling company's content on the streaming service was marked to be leaving Hulu on either Monday, September 25th, or Tuesday, September 26th – with one subscriber asking the streamer's Twitter/X support account if that was true or just a "glitch" with the system. And that's when the streamer confirmed that "our streaming rights to WWE content are currently set to expire" – here's a look at the message from earlier today:

Hulu here! 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!

— Hulu Support (@hulu_support) September 21, 2023

"It's a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU's decades-long partnership with WWE, which has helped cement USA Network's consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership," said NBCU Entertainment chair Frances Berwick in a statement when the news was first announced. "With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we'll continue to use the power of our portfolio to super-serve this passionate fanbase." Noting that NBCUniversal has been "a tremendous partner" of the wrestling company for decades, WWE President Nick Khan added, "We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing 'SmackDown' to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC." While no financial details were initially released, rumblings have the deal including a possible 40% increase from FOX's deal for the show – which was reported to be in the $200M/year range.

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