Fox Is Definitely Trying To Secure WWE Television Broadcasting Rights

We reported on Wednesday that there were several Fox Sports executives at ringside for Tuesday night’s SmackDown Live in Los Angeles.

There is a feeling that Fox would be prepared to pass on UFC if they could strike up a deal with WWE, which is believed to be in the region of $400 million per year in television broadcasting rights. It is also speculated that Raw would revert back to a 2-hour format, something which many have wanted for a while, according to Michael McCarthy from The Sporting News.

"[Fox] is definitely trying to get [the WWE]. They’ll pass on UFC, then use ‘Raw’ for [Fox Broadcasting] and FS1 content,” a source told McCarthy. The story notes that both WWE and UFC are looking to get $400 million per year in TV rights but Fox is more likely to pay that kind of money to WWE over UFC. If Raw moves to Fox then the show would likely be cut down to 2 hours and air from 8-10 pm because most local Fox networks air local news at 10 pm."