Report: WWE's Deal With Hulu Expiring Soon
It means the rights to next-day access for Raw & SmackDown could be up for grabs
Jul 19, 2021
WWE's deal with video-on-demand service Hulu is reportedly set to expire in the near future and could come to an end as soon as the end of the year.
Wrestlenomics is reporting that WWE's partnership with Hulu, who provide next-day on-demand access to the likes of Raw, SmackDown and 205 Live for the promotion, is likely ending in 2022 but could cease as soon as the end of 2021.
The deal was first announced in September 2012.
Such a development is potentially big news for the WWE Network and, by extension, Peacock and NBC Universal. NBCU currently gets Raw and SmackDown 30 days after broadcast, as per their rights in the WWE Network deal, but having next-day access would significantly close the wait time and add a significant appeal to purchasing the WWE Network for fans.
Of course, Hulu keeping the rights is plausible, but it appears Peacock and NBC Universal are in the driving seat to collect the next-day rights, when they become available.
Neither WWE or Hulu commented on the story when requested for a timeline by Wrestlenomics.
