-- WWE's media rights deal with NBCUniversal for Monday Night Raw runs out October 2024 and the fact that NBCU has signed away Friday Night Smackdown, speculation has run rampant on where Raw will land as the show is all but guaranteed to be moving off of the USA Network. The Sports Business Journalism reporter John Ourand is now suggesting that Amazon will step in as the new media rights partner for WWE this year.
-- In his annual sports media predictions column for SBJ, Ourand envisions Amazon acquiring the rights to WWE's flagship show, ensuring its continuation on Monday nights. This move is expected to tap into a young male audience and grant Amazon Prime Video another prominent night of live programming, complementing its existing content like NFL Thursday Night Football. Additionally, recent reports indicated that high-profile figures, including Endeavor President Mark Shapiro, WWE President Nick Khan, and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, engaged in discussions with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) about the possibility of relocating Raw to the WBD family, which currently is the home for AEW's shows.
-- Shifting Raw to Prime Video would mark a substantial departure from traditional cable television in the wrestling industry. Despite potential fan resistance, several factors favor such a transition. The evolving landscape, marked by the decline of cable television and the ascendancy of streaming services, has reshaped the monetary valuation of television content, especially in the wrestling sector.
-- Alternatively, Ourand also suggests a potential collaboration with Disney if the Amazon or WBD deal doesn't materialize. This could involve a TKO Group deal, encompassing the renewal of the current UFC deal and airing Monday Night Raw on Disney's FX cable channel.
