WWE RAW 3/27/17 feat. Final stop before the Thrill Ride, Tug-o-War Part II?, and Vacant as new GM

[The CyNick]

Originally Posted by Smelly Meatball Outside of some rare instances, the third hour has been the biggest cause for why overall numbers have been dropping for years. Its also been among some of the lowest ever in WWE history as well. Only reason they'd keep it is because of money and WWE having nothing strong enough to cover the revenue gap. Like WCW, its pretty much a catch-22 since neither them nor USA Network are happy with it but at the same time, WWE can't afford to lose that extra revenue money.

If USA wasn't happy with the third hour they would simply stop posting for it.

The FACT is, even with declining ratings, it's still a very profitable venture for both USA and WWE. It's not like they are in a marriage they can't get out of.

[Emperor Smeat]

Originally Posted by The CyNick If USA wasn't happy with the third hour they would simply stop posting for it. The FACT is, even with declining ratings, it's still a very profitable venture for both USA and WWE. It's not like they are in a marriage they can't get out of.

They are locked into the 3rd hour till the current tv contract ends. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a buyout clause for that hour if USA Network wanted to drop it but they already are losing a ton of money from the tv deal that its probably cheaper to just let it expire instead.

As of now, tv deal hasn't been profitable at all for USA Network because they are paying for the extra hour, paying to make Smackdown a live show, and paying WWE more than they get back in ad revenues. Its a huge reason why them and NBC started to go after bigger name advertisers since they need to close as much of that revenue gap as possible.

WWE benefits the most now but the lower their audience gets, the harder its going to be to keep those high paying advertisers to stay for the long term.

[The CyNick]

Originally Posted by Smelly Meatball They are locked into the 3rd hour till the current tv contract ends. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a buyout clause for that hour if USA Network wanted to drop it but they already are losing a ton of money from the tv deal that its probably cheaper to just let it expire instead. As of now, tv deal hasn't been profitable at all for USA Network because they are paying for the extra hour, paying to make Smackdown a live show, and paying WWE more than they get back in ad revenues. Its a huge reason why them and NBC started to go after bigger name advertisers since they need to close as much of that revenue gap as possible. WWE benefits the most now but the lower their audience gets, the harder its going to be to keep those high paying advertisers to stay for the long term.

None of that is true. USA doesn't release profitability numbers on specific shows. Whoever is feeding you info is a liar.