The clock is ticking on a new streaming deal between WWE and Hulu for second-day rights to their content. And if an agreement isn’t made by this Saturday, WWE’s content may be pulled from the streaming service.
According to Mike Johnson at PWInsider, “the two sides are still attempting to negotiate a new deal for second-day rights and that talks remain ongoing.” Second-day rights allows for Hulu to exclusively stream live WWE programming like Raw, SmackDown, and NXT for the first 30 days before it also appears on Peacock via the WWE Network.
Hulu and WWE have been partners since 2012 but the streaming company has undergone a lot of changes in the last 10 years. The biggest has been Disney buying Fox’s share of the company in 2019 and becoming majority owner, owning 67% of Hulu, with NBCUniversal owning the other 33%.
While there’s no indication that NBCUniversal is currently negotiating to take over the rights, it would make some sense to just cut out the middleman and put content on Peacock the next day instead of in a month from now.
That being said, there’s value in staying with Hulu. Staying with Hulu means that WWE will have some sort of TV or streaming partnership with three of the four broadcast companies. Either way, it’s a good situation for WWE to be in.
About Phillip Bupp
Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.
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