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Friday, January 3, 2025 Issue #7450
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//->> OPENING WORDS FROM THE EDITOR

Not much going on today, have a great weekend!

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//->> NEWS FROM THE WRESTLING-ONLINE NEWSWIRE
Web version at

SMACKDOWN MOVES TO THREE HOURS TONIGHT

- A new era of Smackdown kicks off tonight on USA Network as the show expands from two to three hours for the first time ever. Smackdown will be a three-hour broadcast moving forward. Ever since Smackdown started its weekly episodes in 1999, the running time has always been that of 120 minutes including commercials. That also gave Raw the edge during the Draft episodes, with more Superstars drafted to Raw due to the one hour extra of programming on the red brand. But now, Raw and Smackdown will be equal in running time and WWE will have to produce eight hours of original programming every week when you take two hours of NXT into equation as well. Tonight's Smackdown will also air on YouTube for one week only for those countries who have a WWE Netflix deal. Many WWE TV contracts expired on December 31, 2024 and the Netflix deal officially kicks off on January 6 with Raw. Internationally, Smackdown will be on Netflix starting from next week's broadcast, as will NXT.

RAW VIEWERSHIP HOLDS UP WELL IN 2024 COMPARED TO PRIOR YEAR

- WWE Raw only dropped slightly in its 2024 viewership average compared to 2023, a big win for the company considering the loss of cable homes from year to year. In 2024, the average Raw viewership was of 1,656,075, which is down only just over 38,000 viewers from the average of 1,694,173 from 2023. The slight less in viewership is also helped by the fact that Raw moved to two hours on October 7, limiting the heavy losses against NFL's Monday Night Football, which was the usual heavy competition for the broadcast. Raw had one show which surpassed the 2 million viewers on average and that was the night after WrestleMania 40 which drew 2,360,000 viewers. Apart from that, the first hour of the January 29 episode and the first hour of the August 12 episode were the only ones which did over 2 million viewers. In the 18-49 demo, Raw averaged a 0.53 rating, slightly up from the 0.52 it did in 2023, so the audience was a bit younger with the over 50 viewership dropping. Their biggest 18-49 demo was the Raw After Mania with a 0.83 rating. Raw had a few very bad nights in 2024, with the September 23 episode doing the second-lowest Raw ever with 1,338,000 viewers, saved only by the September 18, 2023 episode which did 7,000 viewers less. The show was doing great until the NFL season on ESPN and ABC started, averaging 1,727,389 from January to September and a 0.56 rating. That average dropped to 1,505,000 viewers and a 0.47 rating when it went against the NFL. Raw's run on cable television ended on December 30, with the show now moving to Netflix from January 6.

WWE AND TOPPS REUNITE FOR TRADING CARDS

- WWE and trading card company Topps have reunited with a new deal that officially starts on January 31. This will mark the first collaboration between the two companies since the end of 2021, when Panini took over the license for WWE trading cards. "As WWE reaches unprecedented heights, Topps celebrates the legacy with the return of WWE trading cards in 2025. These aren’t just cards—they’re your gateway to relive iconic moments, collect autographs from Superstars like Jey Uso, and own unique pieces of WWE history, such as ring mat relics," the Topps website reads. "Whether you're a lifelong fan or a newcomer, Topps WWE trading cards connect you to the excitement of the squared circle, putting the 'Together' in WWE’s motto: Then, Now, and Forever. Together." In September 2023, Panini filed a lawsuit against WWE after the company terminated its contract as WWE tried to get back with Topps, which was bought out by Fanatics, a big WWE partner in merchandise. In mid-November, WWE and Panini settled their lawsuit without prejudice out of court but no settlement terms were ever released. In February of 2024, Panini announced that it would continue its relationship with WWE through digital trading cards.

NXT RATING

- The New Year's Eve episode of NXT on CW drew 626,000 viewers, down 97,000 viewers from last week's broadcast which was the third-highest on CW so far. The show had a 0.15 rating in 18-49 demo, up 0.01 from the previous week. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)

LOCATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR UPCOMING WWE TV TAPINGS

- WWE today announced the location of seven upcoming Raw, Smackdown, and NXT shows on the road to WrestleMania. NXT on January 28 will be live from Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia. Raw on February 24 will be from the Heritage Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, and that is followed by a live Smackdown from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada later that week on February 28. On March 3, Raw will be live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York and a week later it's back to Madison Square Garden in New York City for the March 10 Raw. The April 4 Smackdown will take place from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, and the final Raw before WrestleMania on April 14 will be at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.


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