WWE Smackdown moving to USA Network? Network Press Release and more

SmackDown to air on USA Network from 2016?

As noted before, Variety.com has a new article on WWE SmackDown which will be moving from Syfy to USA Network in 2016. A possible reason for moving WWE SmackDown to USA might be the need to upgrade the amount of live or live-action programming from its current proportion.

Another possible reason for this change may be that NBC Universal executives wanted to bring all of their WWE programming under one shade. Also, the USA Network President Chris McCumber had stated in a conference that USA will be shifting the focus from its original programming to attract a millennial audience.

The WWE and USA are also currently running a new campaign with the tag "For the Hero in All of Us", details of which can be found at this link. The campaign aims to put forward WWE as an inevitable brand of entertainment so that even those advertisers who had eschewed WWE in the past may realize their mistake.

The USA Network ad executive Peter Lazarus said that their network is now dedicated on "educating the marketplace about WWE's positive attributes," thereby spreading the fact that WWE is mostly DVR-proof and that WWE draws an ample amount of respectful audiences for their events.

The attempt to promote WWE in front of different potential advertisers is part of the new contract signed between WWE and NBCU last year. This deal endows NBCU with higher control over advertising sales on their WWE programming.

Here is the full press release on WWE Tough Enough returning and SmackDown moving to the USA Network that was issued yesterday:

WWE® SmackDown® Moves to USA Network in 1Q2016, Joining Monday Night Raw® and Reality Series WWE Tough Enough®

NEW YORK, NY and STAMFORD, CONN – April 7, 2015 – USA is expanding its commitment to the live action entertainment company WWE, bringing SmackDown to the network in the first quarter of 2016. Now the exclusive cable home to WWE marquee properties, USA airs the powerhouse Monday Night Raw live 52 weeks a year and the reality competition series WWE Tough Enough, which returns this summer in a reimagined format with live elements.

"WWE consistently delivers one of the largest and most socially engaged live audiences in entertainment and we're excited to expand our long-standing relationship and be the true cable home for the WWE fan," said USA Network President Chris McCumber.

"WWE is proud to have SmackDown join Raw as part of our expanded partnership with USA Network," said WWE Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Vince McMahon. "The combination of the #1 cable network and two ratings juggernauts provides a destination for our viewers and an extraordinary platform for our partners."

Earlier this year, USA announced the renewal of WWE Tough Enough, premiering Tuesday, June 23 at 8/7c. The reimagined series will feature an all-new format with live elements and more fan participation than ever before. In addition, WWE recently unveiled a new brand campaign "For The Hero In All of Us," that engages consumers through #MyHeroIs, inviting fans to name their favorite WWE Superstars and share personal and inspirational stories of heroism.

Monday Night Raw on USA is the most-watched, regularly scheduled, year-round program on cable, airing a live three-hour block every Monday night, 52 weeks a year. Raw has been a cable mainstay for more than 20 years and is consistently a top ten show on television. Year-to-date Raw averages 1.95MM P18-49, 2.02MM P25-54 and 4.43MM total viewers P2+ and SmackDown averages 1.1MM P18-49, 1.22MM P25-54, and 2.86MM total viewers P2+. In 2014, Raw and SmackDown reached 55.9MM total viewers P2+.

With more than 800 original episodes, SmackDown is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history, only behind Monday Night Raw. Over the past 15 years, SmackDown has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities, in seven different countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico.

Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.

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