WWE expanded Friday Night Smackdown to three hours from two at the beginning of the year and the belief at the time was that the show would stay at three hours until the end of May and then revert to two beginning with the June 6 episode. It appears that plan has changed.
The WrestleVotes Backstage pass report indicated that WWE and USA did agree that tonight's show would have been the final extended broadcast but the new plan is for Smackdown to remain at three hours indefinitely and into the "foreseeable future" with USA being the primary party thta is "steadfast" on keeping it that length.
The report added that sources within WWE have noted that USA has been very happy overall with the performance of Smackdown from a numbers perspective since adding the third hour. It was cautioned though that the situation is fluid and that a return to two hours could still happen as early as this fall.
