10 Major Challenges Facing WWE In 2019
4. Reversing The Ratings Crisis
WWE scored big when they landed a $1 billion television contract with Fox last year. The new deal kicks in this October, and will see SmackDown switch to Friday nights, where it'll form part of the network's new weekend sports run, and could, as a result, become WWE's de facto A-show.
This all sounds great, but there are concerns.
Fox will reportedly expect SmackDown's viewership to hit an average of 3.3 million per week when the contract starts. This would be a leap of more than 50%, and with both main roster shows seemingly hitting record low ratings every month, it'll be a tall task for a company whose viewership problem might be terminal.
More worrying is Dave Meltzer's insinuation that Fox have an 'out' clause in the deal, with the Wrestling Observer head honcho stating the network will second-guess their deal if WWE aren't hitting the mark. A nightmare scenario, given how dependent WWE will be on this revenue going forward. They'd likely secure another contract, and shouldn't come close to financial meltdown, but securing anything near as the Fox agreement seems like an impossibility.