A sign that UFC is leaving Fox? THR reports Fox close to deal with WWE's Smackdown

[Deleted member 490433]

I been better
I'm home for now, thanks for asking man

The timing is interesting
Since Fox & UFC were close to announcing a deal then UFC got the ESPN+ & two network offer.
No idea if Fox said FU & pulled the offer (or not)
But if UFC got $150m from a non-network, they will do just fine

You're welcome brotha, I've never been worried for them and I feel they'll surprise us with another great move that exceeds expectations. Call it hopeful thinking but I'm always rooting for them.

 

[FrankieNYC]

You're welcome brotha, I've never been worried for them and I feel they'll surprise us with another great move that exceeds expectations. Call it hopeful thinking but I'm always rooting for them.

No need to worry about UFC financially.

Worry that they do right by MMA & fans.

One might have nothing to do with the other & that is what some cannot comprehend.
Explaining business decisions & metrics is not saying they are making great MMA decisions.

MMA & UFC interest is down & there is a lot to point at that fans are upset with.
But that does not mean they are "dying" & not worth a shitload more than they were in 2016

I said this months ago:
They are less a fight promotion & more a content distributor now

 

[nanika]

That is the complete opposite of the truth
UFC pays 13-17% of rev & WWE 5-8% for a shitload more work

Both suck lol

WWE talent cost is only 5--8%? no wonder hulk hogan used thiel as a sugar daddy in that lawsuit

 

[JKS]

Unfortunately WWE is still bigger than MMA. I have stopped watching a long time ago, but as far as i know their weekly product does a couple of million 2 to 4, UFC isnt even close at the moment.

You're talking about the UFN that are on fox sports 1 which is cable, the UFC Fox shows that are on the national network do 2 to 5 million. On average its around 2 to 3 but certain shows exceed 4 million viewers like PVZ/Waterson did almost 5 million and Holm/Shevcheko did 4.6 mill.

 

[FrankieNYC]

WWE talent cost is only 5--8%? no wonder hulk hogan used thiel as a sugar daddy in that lawsuit

Yep ... only 5-8%
Also outside of exceptions (Brock, Taker, Cena, RR) they work/travel 250-275 days a year for that money

 

[king of theRing]

Fox is willing to pay more for ‘fake wrestling’ than the UFC hilarious.

Not like their ratings are worth it, while wwe is

 

[nanika]

Yep ... only 5-8%
Also outside of exceptions (Brock, Taker, Cena, RR) they work/travel 250-275 days a year for that money

thats freakin brutal. never was a WWF/E fan and although i knew it was scripted that shit has to hurt.

do you know how much they pay The Rock when he shows up at random shows these days?

 

[FrankieNYC]

Not like their ratings are worth it, while wwe is

Actually UFC's lesser ratings bring in more ad revenue
Which is why they are getting better deals per hour than WWE

 

[FrankieNYC]

thats freakin brutal. never was a WWF/E fan and although i knew it was scripted that shit has to hurt.

do you know how much they pay The Rock when he shows up at random shows these days?

No idea
But the funny thing is, the paydays to him & Taker are included in that %, so it skews it higher.

Mid-top level WWE performers make good money, but their whole life is WWE
They cannot do anything without Vince signing off.
No sponsors, no interviews, etc.
Far more restrictive than UFC

Plus WWE performers pay for hotels, car rental, etc. for house shows

 

[Dorkman]

VKM killed it this past 2 weeks
What networks are paying for content in 2019 is insane

Between that and the reported 100 to 200 million guaranteed up front payment off for the greatest royal rumble even before ticket sales and merch were even factored in WWE has had a great year in locking down revenue. Their stock apparently had a 5% jump either today or very recently can't remember.

 

[FrankieNYC]

Between that and the reported 100 to 200 million guaranteed up front payment off for the greatest royal rumble even before ticket sales and merch were even factored in WWE has had a great year in locking down revenue. Their stock apparently had a 5% jump either today or very recently can't remember.

They didn't get all that upfront
They got the show money upfront (Saudi bought the show for X-amount)
But still great money

Funny thing is all the "fans" think they know what is best for WWE & that they need to go please the hardcores & get edgier.
Vince & his main two people in charge (Barrios & Wilson) were patient in making WWE a commodity like Disney that is family friendly & beginning now are reaping the rewards.
So many had no clue what was good for business.
They no longer live/die by each event/rating. They are an institution & make more money in a down time of interest than they did in the Attitude era

That is what people don't get about business in 2018. It is about content distribution.

 

[podsox]

doesn't mean ufc done with fox.

means fox Is signing something else to fill it fs1 air waves.,

From what I read wwe is going to be on FOX.

 

[Mau]

I believe there is a report from Meltzer saying that if Fox pays in the range of $120 million, WWE don't need to sell tickets to house shows, merchandise, anything related to Smackdown and they would still get a huge profit.

 

[FrankieNYC]

I believe there is a report from Meltzer saying that if Fox pays in the range of $120 million, WWE don't need to sell tickets to house shows, merchandise, anything related to Smackdown and they would still get a huge profit.

WWE is now guaranteed to have their biggest year ever as far as profit in 2020. They deal(s) begin Sept/Oct 2019

WWE never had a $100m profit year before

 

[Mau]

WWE is now guaranteed to have their biggest year ever as far as profit in 2020. They deal(s) begin Sept/Oct 2019

WWE never had a $100m profit year before

Maybe now we know why The Miz is back and Daniel Bryan wasn't sent to Raw.

 

[Willek]

 

[FrankieNYC]

Maybe now we know why The Miz is back and Daniel Bryan wasn't sent to Raw.

That can change 5x by fall though
Vince changes his mind daily on stuff

But WWE better deliver ratings on Friday nights on FOX.
They have to make sure SD is not the #2 show anymore

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

More money for Vince to start another round of XFL... bust. But really... Just saw that Rousey will be fighting for the belt on their next PPV. Also... seems like the bigger stars have always been on Raw. Smackdown is AJ Styles and now The Miz…

 

[snackgod]

From what I read wwe is going to be on FOX.

bet sometimes it wouldn't. fox already said there bring back all the Friday shows from 8-10

 

[MMA_enthusiast]

UFC had a standing offer from Fox for $200-250m per year (depending on the amount of content).
it was a take it or leave it offer. THR reports it at $175m now (since they gave so much to ESPN+)

Did UFC say no (rumors of others have bid this month)?


https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...ve-five-year-1-billion-deal-smackdown-1113701

The new deal, which is nearing completion, is expected to begin in October 2019, and will mark a three-fold increase over what NBCUniversal is currently paying.
Fox will be the anticipated home of WWE SmackDown Live in a massive new five-year deal worth more than $1 billion, sources close to the negotiations tell The Hollywood Reporter. The new deal, which is nearing completion and is worth $205 million annually, is expected to begin in October 2019, and will mark a three-fold increase over what NBCUniversal is currently paying WWE to air SmackDown on its USA network.

WWE is said to have had an even higher bid from a third party - and enthusiastic interest overall. But WWE executives are said to have embraced Fox's commitment to heavily promote SmackDown across a robust sports portfolio that includes the NFL and Major League Baseball.

The deal would split WWE programming rights with NBC, which is expected to retain Raw. Smack is averaging 2.59 million viewers a week so far this year, while Raw is pulling about 3 million. Both programs currently air on USA. And the WWE had a significant part in the network's May 14 upfront presentation to advertisers with Stephanie McMahon, WWE's chief brand officer, introducing several female wrestlers including former UFC star Ronda Rousey.

The Fox deal dovetails with the Murdoch-controlled network’s anticipated programming pivot in the wake of the Disney acquisition of much of 21st Century Fox assets. “New Fox” as its been quasi officially dubbed, will include the Fox broadcast network and owned stations, Fox News and Fox Sports, which includes cable nets FS1 and FS2 as well as the Big Ten Network. And Fox's May 14 upfront presentation to advertisers unveiled a shift away from edgy, urbane fare toward broad programming with appeal beyond coastal confines to middle America. The network will spend more than $3 billion for five seasons of Thursday Night Football, and already shells out more than $1 billion annually for its top-rated Sunday NFL package, which runs through 2022.


It’s unclear what effect if any, the WWE deal will have on Fox Sports’ calculation in renewing its UFC rights package, which expires at the end of the year. The Endeavor-owned promotion recently finalized a $750 million deal with ESPN+, the Disney-owned sports giants’ still nascent OTT service. And sources close to that deal have told THR that Fox is willing to pay about $175 million annually for the MMA promotion.

Awesome stuff as always Frankie, can't believe WWE managed to get a deal like that for smackdown that's insane. At this point after this deal goes through, one episode of RAW probably generates more revenue than their network PPVs (per Meltzer). Also if FOX put down 200 million a year for smackdown a new product, do you think they will muster up a new deal for UFC as well? I have a feeling they won't be able to do it when they're current resources in NFL and now the WWE are so high. I feel like UFC will go to another provider.