Earlier this week WWE announced the move of its #2 show, WWE Smackdown, and its upcoming reality competition Tough Enough to the USA Network. This was done as part of NBC Universal’s large push for getting more WWE-related content across its many platforms, including the new “For the Hero In All Of Us” marketing campaign.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that while Monday Night Raw continues to do well in ratings for USA, the network is having trouble maintaining its place as the #1 station on cable network television. While Smackdown is easily the most watched program on SyFy, moving to USA will put more eyes on the show and WWE as a whole.
Of course, it all comes down to business. Raw and Smackdown do great numbers comparable to most programming, but when you factor in how much NBC is paying for WWE content it just about breaks even with what it makes in ad revenue. The new campaign is meant to change the way non-wrestling fans react to sports entertainment on their screen, by pushing WWE Superstars for their charitable work and painting them as actual sports celebrities.
