BREAKING NEWS: Brand Split Officially Confirmed By WWE!
After months of rumours and speculation, WWE has finally confirmed that the brand split, which officially ended in 2012, will be returning.
Here is their official press release:
SMACKDOWN GOING LIVE ON USA NETWORK BEGINNING TUESDAY, JULY 19
SMACKDOWN to Feature Distinct Roster and Storylines
NEW YORK and STAMFORD, CONN – May 25, 2016 — USA Network, the exclusive cable home to WWE’s marquee properties, announced that its weekly SMACKDOWN show will air live – for the first time ever – and move to Tuesdays every week beginning July 19 from 8-10PM ET/PT. With the SMACKDOWN move, USA Network will now offer five hours of live WWE programming a week, including the weekly three-hour live WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW (airing Mondays from 8-11PM ET/PT), with each show featuring a distinct cast, unique storylines and a dedicated writing team.
In 2016 to date, MONDAY NIGHT RAW is averaging 4.011MM total viewers, 1.873MM P25-54 and 1.846MM P18-49 L7, and SMACKDOWN in its current time slot is averaging 2.674MM P2+, 1.136MM P25-54, and 1.058MM P18-49+ L7, making USA the #1 cable entertainment network across the key demos on Monday and Thursday nights. In 2015, the two programs combined reached over 50MM viewers. Both shows will now air live 52 weeks a year.
“The fan base for our WWE shows is one of the most passionate and engaged audiences in all of entertainment,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “There is a huge appetite among our viewers for live programming, and the ability to move SMACKDOWN to a live format brings a new level of excitement and helps truly eventize this every week.”
“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”
Further devlopments have surfaced, from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, stating some of the following; SmackDown will be headed by John Cena, with Roman Reigns taking the reigns on Raw, there is a high chance that another world championship will be created, and the drafting of Superstars will take place on the July 11th edition of Raw in Detroit, Michigan.
What are your thoughts on this breaking news? Comment below!
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