7 Things We Learned From WWE's Q3 Earnings Conference Call
6. Raw & SmackDown's Future
The next 24 months should be extremely interesting for WWE's televised product.
The company have regularly talked up the prospect of someday delivering all of their content through digital platforms, and while Raw and SmackDown exclusively airing on the Network still sounds like a pipe dream, television is a declining medium, and many of WWE's major deals expire within the next two years.
WWE's contract with the USA Network ends in September 2019, with their UK and Indian deals expiring that December. Fortunately, the company have already started thinking about their next move. They expect to announce new distribution deals for all three markets between Q2 2018 and Q1 2019, with Barrios noting that these dates could be subject to change depending on how negotiations go.
The company were asked about the possibility of striking an exclusive deal with the USA Network, but Barrios declined to elaborate. He did note that they'd had communication with other providers, and will be taking digital distribution into account when brokering their next deal, which is consistent with their general strategy. His words suggest that while going all-digital won't be possible during the upcoming negotiation period, it's something they're gradually moving towards.