Recently it was revealed that the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) content on Hulu was due to expire and was set to leave, but during the company’s latest quarterly financial results investor call, it was revealed that the WWE has signed a short-term contract extension with Disney for shows like “RAW”.

WWE’s co-CEO Nick Khan confirmed:

We are also pleased to be doing more business with our friends at Disney and Hulu, where we also recently extended our Raw re-air rights deal.

He added:

In our discussions with Hulu about extending the relationship, we expressed our desire to align the timing of the rights and windows for our content, so it’s best positions WWE for the upcoming renewal discussions in 2023.

As a result, we entered into a short-term extension that we believe balances desires of both sides. We are pleased with the outcome, but it will create a modest headwind in our financials for fourth quarter and for 2023. As for 2023, we’re currently in the middle of our annual operating plan process and expect to provide a more fulsome update on our next earnings call.

WWE Chief Financial Officer & Chief Administrative Officer, Frank Riddick also said the Hulu extension is a short-term deal designed to better align with the upcoming live TV rights negotiations.  Hulu’s current deal for “Smackdown” is set to expire in September 2024, which was part of a sub-licensing deal that Fox has for it next-day rights.

It was also confirmed that in 2023, WWE Studios would premiere a new series on Hulu, featuring superstars Bianca Belair and Montez Ford, who are a real-life married couple. Bianca Belair is the current RAW’s WWE Women’s champion, and Montez Ford is a former multi-time tag team champion, as part of the “Street Profits”.

WWE has had lots of success with reality series featuring its stars, such as “Total Divas” and “Miz and Mrs”.

The eighth episode first season is currently in production.   It’s not known if this series will also be released on Disney+ internationally.

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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