SMACKDOWN moves to the USA Network along with TOUGH ENOUGH

[slik]

Looks like USA Network is about the be the cable version of the WWE Network.

Mondays - RAW
Tuesdays - Tough Enough
Thursday - SMACKDOWN

WWE Smackdown! (http://www.ew.com/topic/wwe-smackdown)



Posted April 7 2015 — 11:30 AM EDT
USA Network is about to be the go-to spot for WWE: SmackDown is making the move to the network next year.
USA already airs Monday Night Raw for three hours each week and will be the home for WWE Tough Enough once the reality competition show returns for its sixth season June 23.
Since its 1999 debut, SmackDown has broadcast over 800 episodes, earning it the title of television’s second longest-running weekly episodic program (first place belongs to Monday Night Raw). The show will begin airing on USA in early 2016.


credit - Entertainment Weekly

[Simple Fan]

Hopefully Smack down goes live but it probably won't.

[Droford]

USA should have required it go live for the deal.

Also Tough Enough is the kind of thing that should be network exclusive

[Simple Fan]

Yea should be a network show. NXT should do at least one show on USA a month. That would make up for not having monthly specials.

[Big Vic]

Great, still wont watch it.

[Ruien]

USA should have required it go live for the deal.

Also Tough Enough is the kind of thing that should be network exclusive

Why? WWE is going to make money off of it by putting it on USA. WWE does not have any obligation to put the new shows they make on the WWE Network. Especially when its getting a good tv deal.

[Tazz Dan]

Well, being that USA is #1, and Smackdown will be shown on the USA Network, I'm pretty confident this answers a question for Shisen quite easily.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Great, still wont watch it.

I think it'll be just like any new WWE show. They'll try really hard to hype it and deliver maybe like 1-2 weeks of a viable watchable show. Then go back to it being business as usual.

Recent examples

WWE Superstars-Had The Undertaker on the debut episode.
WWE Main Event: World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus Vs. WWE Champion CM Punk in Champion Vs. Champion.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Why? WWE is going to make money off of it by putting it on USA. WWE does not have any obligation to put the new shows they make on the WWE Network. Especially when its getting a good tv deal.

I think what Droford is trying to get at is that developmental talent shouldn't be given national exposure until they are ready for it. It's undermining the future of the talent for the TV deal.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

I guess Syfy got tired of not having a day they couldn't air Sharknado on? This is good news for the WWE though. Strange timing since Chris Jericho is going to be in Sharknado 3.

[Big Vic]

I think it'll be just like any new WWE show. They'll try really hard to hype it and deliver maybe like 1-2 weeks of a viable watchable show. Then go back to it being business as usual.

Recent examples

WWE Superstars-Had The Undertaker on the debut episode.
WWE Main Event: World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus Vs. WWE Champion CM Punk in Champion Vs. Champion.
I doubt they'll even do that, they barely hyped the SD! card when it moved back to Thursday.

[Shisen Kopf]

Well, being that USA is #1, and Smackdown will be shown on the USA Network, I'm pretty confident this answers a question for Shisen quite easily.

yout ever notice how there is only one USA network and not a whole bunch like MTV? Reason being there is no way that a station called USA 2 would be accurate. USA #1 ONLY

[#1-norm-fan]

The roster split failed in part because they didn't want guys featured exclusively on a show that wasn't as accessible to as many people. If only they could have done this a few years ago. Now... meh.

[ClockShot]

BUT, BUT, WHAT ABOUT MY LAW & ORDER: SVU RERUNS?!

Actually, kind of a bad move on NBC's part. Now USA's original programming gotta dance around the rest of the week because Thursday was a prime timeslot for Suits, Royal Pains, etc.

I think most of us get the NBC Sports Network. Why not put Smackdown on there?

[Emperor Smeat]

USA should have required it go live for the deal.

USA Network would probably have to help cover the costs if they wanted it to be a live show.

[MoFo]

yout ever notice how there is only one USA network and not a whole bunch like MTV? Reason being there is no way that a station called USA 2 would be accurate. USA #1 ONLY



Will you have DVR next year or are you sticking with taping on VHS

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

BUT, BUT, WHAT ABOUT MY LAW & ORDER: SVU RERUNS?!

Actually, kind of a bad move on NBC's part. Now USA's original programming gotta dance around the rest of the week because Thursday was a prime timeslot for Suits, Royal Pains, etc.

I think most of us get the NBC Sports Network. Why not put Smackdown on there?

Royal Pains will be on Tuesdays, Suits Wednesdays and Graceland Thursdays when they come back (until Smackdown returns.) Doesn't matter. A show that is brand new every week takes priority over a show that basically has like 13 episodes per season or episodes scattered.

WWE doesn't consider themselves a sport. Why would they put them on a Sports network?

Oh and Todd Chrisley is getting a late night-talk show.

[Shisen Kopf]

Will you have DVR next year or are you sticking with taping on VHS

VHS 4-life!

[Emperor Smeat]

Could be getting more live Smackdown episodes as part of the deal according to a report from Variety.

Variety has a new article on WWE SmackDown moving to the USA Network in 2016. Part of the reason SmackDown is moving to USA is because the network wants to up the amount of live or live-action programming they have. At today's USA Network Upfronts presentation where several new shows were announced, USA Network President Chris McCumber made it clear that USA is shifting the focus from its original programming to attract a millennial audience. Another reason for SmackDown moving from Syfy to USA Network is NBCUniversal executives felt it made sense to put all of their WWE programming under one roof. Variety also reported on the new "For the Hero in All of Us" image campaign that WWE and USA are currently running. The campaign is designed to make WWE's raucous brand of live entertainment more acceptable to advertisers who have shunned WWE in the past
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/upfronts-usa-network-grabs-smackdown-loads-up-on-scripted-development-1201467458/

[Dukelorange]

USA will get more money for commercials than they would for a regular television show. As good as their track record for shows are (Monk, Psych, Royal Pains, etc.) They are not getting a lot of Emmys for them. In theory, this is a smart move for both parties. The thing is, will USA let Smackdown go if WWE wants to move them to another network?

[Mr. Nerfect]

This is pretty big for the WWE. This is first time RAW and SmackDown have been on the same network. It'll be interesting to see how this affects the creative direction of the shows, if at all. I'd honestly like it if the WWE tried to give each show a different feel, and perhaps even brought the brand split back. There's not really a creative reason to do it, but the memo coming down from NBC (in storylines) that they want The Authority's power reduced and for SmackDown to now be run by *insert personality*, you could get things heated pretty quickly. Triple H and Stephanie could laugh at the idea, and ask which Superstars would dare go up against them, only to find out that the first four official SmackDown exclusive stars are Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan.

I doubt the WWE will reduce RAW back to being a two hour show, but I've long hoped that the WWE would offer more programming to the USA Network in order to ease up things for creative and talent. SmackDown being added to the USA line-up means that even with a two-hour RAW, SmackDown would still increase the WWE's presence on the network. Then there's Tough Enough.

It'll be interesting to see how a two-hour SmackDown does against a three-hour RAW. Maybe the WWE doesn't boost SmackDown up in terms of focus, so that the more succinct timing for a good product doesn't overshadow RAW when it comes to ratings. Maybe that could change how RAW is presented? Is USA Network going to be happy if SmackDown doesn't do as well as RAW does, due to the WWE not treating it like an equal show? A few interesting things could come of this.

If they do decide to make SmackDown live and its own brand, this would allow the WWE to produce even more programming if they kept the Tuesday taping schedule. You could do RAW and Superstars on Monday (Superstars becomes a RAW exclusive), then they do the Tuesday tapings, which can be Main Event on the WWE Network (have a RAW portion and a SmackDown portion), and then do something else for later in the week. Maybe even something else for USA. But it's more likely they put SmackDown on live on Tuesdays occasionally, and have as many top stars on there as possible.