Felix Upton on July 17, 2021
WWE has a deal with Hulu to stream programming on the next day in an on-demand setting, but that agreement is set to run up soon.
According to Wrestlenomics, Vince McMahon’s company might be looking for an alternative to Hulu. It is reported that on-demand access to RAW and SmackDown will end on Hulu “sometime in 2022 or as early as the end of 2021.”
Hulu has not responded to any questions about this deal as of this writing. It is reported that Peacock is a “likely buyer.” The NBCU streaming service currently has to wait 30 days to air RAW and SmackDown, the same deal the WWE Network had to keep due to Hulu owning the rights.
Having next-day programming on Peacock would be a great service of convenience for some fans. We previously reported that WWE is nixing VPN use for American fans who were trying to access the WWE Network. Peacock could gain even more importance in WWE programming soon.
There are other potential buyers such as Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google, but they will have to pay WWE’s price for the programming. It is also noted that, “the value of next-day rights is probably a very small percentage compared to U.S. live rights.” It will still give a real edge to whichever streaming platform that can lay claim to owning WWE’s next-day content.
What’s your take on this situation? Sound off in the comments!
July 17, 2021 4:30 pm
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