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Post by GalactiKing on Feb 8, 2008 7:05:21 GMT -5
Looks like WWE is ending its relationship with CW. They're planning on moving Smackdown somewhere else. I wonder though if anyone else will let them have two hours.
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Post by Chris Ingersoll on Feb 8, 2008 8:13:39 GMT -5
Well... what does USA show on Fridays (or Thursdays, for that matter)?
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Post by stephenvegas on Feb 8, 2008 8:14:58 GMT -5
I am hoping this means Smackdown will be on a night other than Friday. I liked it much better when Smackdown was on Thursday nights.
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Post by MikeMcKinney on Feb 8, 2008 8:23:24 GMT -5
I am hoping this means Smackdown will be on a night other than Friday. I liked it much better when Smackdown was on Thursday nights. Agreed. |
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Post by euritar on Feb 8, 2008 11:30:48 GMT -5
WWE made it official today, they are leaving the CW network at the end of the tv season, time for Vince to shop around!
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Post by Pete on Feb 8, 2008 21:48:17 GMT -5
Sounds like a cancellation on CW's part to me, frankly.
I would guess they end up on MyNetworkTV--it'd certainly fit in better there than on the CW--but that's just a guess.
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Post by Swarm on Feb 8, 2008 22:48:38 GMT -5
Sounds like a cancellation on CW's part to me, frankly. Of course it does. You're Pete Fusco. |
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Post by gatekeeper on Feb 8, 2008 22:57:14 GMT -5
Sounds like a cancellation on CW's part to me, frankly. Right. It's only one of the station's top rated shows.  |
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Post by Hyde on Feb 9, 2008 0:03:42 GMT -5
Sounds like a cancellation on CW's part to me, frankly. Right. It's only one of the station's top rated shows. That sounded odd to me, too. I haven't gone on the wwe.com, but from what I've read here it doesn't seem like they have another station lined up yet. Are they that desperate to get away from the CW that they would abandon ship without anywhere else to go. Either that or they just haven't felt like announcing what the new station is yet. |
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Post by Hyde on Feb 9, 2008 0:04:13 GMT -5
On second thought, they probably are that desperate to get away from the CW.
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Post by Pete on Feb 9, 2008 0:37:40 GMT -5
Sounds like a cancellation on CW's part to me, frankly. Right. It's only one of the station's top rated shows. Ratings are secondary to advertising rates, and they're almost irrelevant when you can't sell decent advertising at all. Smackdown has by far the worst ad rates of any show on the 5 networks. In fact, I believe the second-worst-selling show makes twice as much. Meltzer, by the way, is calling it a "cancellation" on his website. "If they had a new deal in place, they would have announced it." |
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Post by Pete on Feb 9, 2008 0:38:58 GMT -5
On second thought, they probably are that desperate to get away from the CW. Why? I can't imagine there's much upside in going from free, network TV--even if it's the #5 lapdog network--to cable. And it's not like they're going to land a plum deal with ESPN or anything. |
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Post by Hyde on Feb 9, 2008 1:32:48 GMT -5
On second thought, they probably are that desperate to get away from the CW. Why? I can't imagine there's much upside in going from free, network TV--even if it's the #5 lapdog network--to cable. And it's not like they're going to land a plum deal with ESPN or anything. I could totally be wrong when I say this, because I don't watch the CW much, but does the CW really have anything going for it other than smackdown? It just sort of seems like a dead channel. But, I point back to my preface, I don't really watch the CW, so I could be wrong. |
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Post by offspring515 on Feb 9, 2008 6:53:59 GMT -5
I figured everyone would jump on Pete for being the first to say it, but there's no way in hell this is anything other than the CW deciding they can get more ad rate money by running some crappy sitcoms that draw 1/4 of Smackdown's rating on Fridays. Wrestling draws ratings but in the minds of advertisers we're all hillbilly's sitting around poking berries up our noses with sticks. That's why during an episode of Raw you see the same video game and motor oil and fast food commercials 15 times.
This isn't an anti WWE thing, at least not from me. I love Smackdown and I'm very sad to see it moving. But the reality is that networks don't make much money from wrestling, and lots of people in the tv business see it as being "lowbrow". It also doesn't fit in with the rest of CW's lineup...I mean, One Tree Hill, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl...and Smackdown? They are trying to appeal to teenage girls, and Smackdown doesn't fit the demographic. I hope they find a new home for it. My Network TV is a step down, no doubt, but I could see the WWE getting a more beneficial deal because they would be that networks biggest anchor by far.
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Post by Subvert69 on Feb 9, 2008 10:09:59 GMT -5
Hey they have imo one of the best new shows in years. REAPER!!
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Post by Hyde on Feb 9, 2008 17:33:03 GMT -5
I figured everyone would jump on Pete for being the first to say it, but there's no way in hell this is anything other than the CW deciding they can get more ad rate money by running some crappy sitcoms that draw 1/4 of Smackdown's rating on Fridays. Wrestling draws ratings but in the minds of advertisers we're all hillbilly's sitting around poking berries up our noses with sticks. That's why during an episode of Raw you see the same video game and motor oil and fast food commercials 15 times. This isn't an anti WWE thing, at least not from me. I love Smackdown and I'm very sad to see it moving. But the reality is that networks don't make much money from wrestling, and lots of people in the tv business see it as being "lowbrow". It also doesn't fit in with the rest of CW's lineup...I mean, One Tree Hill, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl...and Smackdown? They are trying to appeal to teenage girls, and Smackdown doesn't fit the demographic. I hope they find a new home for it. My Network TV is a step down, no doubt, but I could see the WWE getting a more beneficial deal because they would be that networks biggest anchor by far. Yeah, I agree with this. Now that I reread my first post, it sounded differently than I meant it. I was trying to say that it was odd for the WWE to cut out of the CW without anywhere else to go, which would suggest they got dropped, but that, in my mind, the CW isn't any pearl either. I didn't mean for it to seem like I was jumping on Pete, if you were including me in your "everyone".  If not, then in summation I totally agree with you! ;D |
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Post by offspring515 on Feb 9, 2008 21:36:30 GMT -5
Eh, I was trying to stem the tide of "Pete hates WWE/Vince" from Swarm/Payback that seemed to be beginning. Outside of anyone's feelings on the WWE, it's obvious from the way this is going down that the WWE was told they won't be coming back next season.
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Post by Mark 138 on Feb 10, 2008 10:31:39 GMT -5
Hey they have imo one of the best new shows in years. REAPER!! I was going to add that, but you already did. Otherwise, CW doesn't offer much. I think a possible scenario COULD be Smackdown taking the place of ECW on Sci-Fi and ECW going to either online, 24/7 on demand, or just going away. |
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Post by Chewey on Feb 10, 2008 12:23:04 GMT -5
lol, that would be ironic in that only months ago, people believed that WWE was planning to merge ECW with Smackdown with fears that ECW's spot in the sci-fi channel was in jeopardy.
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Post by Wildfire on Feb 11, 2008 13:02:14 GMT -5
Well... what does USA show on Fridays (or Thursdays, for that matter)? Well, USA runs the new episode of Monk and Psych (which, IIRC, are their two top orignal shows) on Friday nights... and Movies most times otherwise. Sci-Fi does their original stuff on Fridays too (it has for YEARS, even going back to Farscape), so if its going to be added to either, I'd guess a different day. Maybe they'll dump ECW and make that slot 2 hours for Smackdown. |
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