Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of FOX, is ready to engage in those conversations.
Morgan Stanley TMT held a media and telecom conference today and Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of FOX, was a speaker and he was asked about the evolution of FOX’s partnership with WWE.
That partnership includes SmackDown airing weekly on FOX and has included the WWE Backstage show that aired on FS1. Murdoch would not describe it as an ‘evolution’ of the partnership.
He stated that when it comes to a potential sale of WWE, he is hopeful that the management team sticks together because they’ve done a great job from his point of view. Murdoch went on to add that FOX is ready to engage in rights renewal talks with WWE.
So, I don’t think it’s an evolution of the partnership (between FOX & WWE). I think they’ve been great partners. They’ve been great partners throughout our partnership, our relationship. If they ultimately sell the business, I hope the acquirer, I’m sure they’ll be as good a partner as they’ve been. I hope the management team stays intact because they’ve done a tremendous job. From a rights point of view, we’re focused on their rights renewal. We’re ready. We haven’t engaged with them on the rights yet. We’re ready to engage with them when they ask, when they’re ready. But ultimately, our appetite for a renewal depends on what happens with the rest of our sports portfolio.
Their current deal does not expire until 2024. A conversation about WWE’s rights were discussed on a May 2022 episode of Wrestlenomics and to hear that, click here.
If the quote in this article are used, please credit the original source with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription.
