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Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July - Brand Split Incoming

51K views 588 replies 331 participants last post by  Sin City Saint 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)


Yes!!!

USA is about to flip WWE fans’ expectations for one of the wrestling programs it airs every week.

“Smackdown,” which moved to the NBCUniversal-owned outlet from sister Syfy in January, will be broadcast live for two hours every week starting Tuesday, July 19, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., resulting in five hours of live WWE programming on the network each week.

“There is a huge appetite among our viewers for live programming and the ability to move ‘Smackdown’ to a live format brings a new level of excitement and helps truly eventize this every week,” said Chris McCumber, president of entertainment networks at NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, in a prepared statement.

The move reflects a growing desire by TV networks to find more ways to air content that needs to be seen as it airs, rather than days or weeks later via a DVR or video on demand. Networks like NBC and Fox have turned live broadcasts of favorite Broadway plays into high-rated events, and many broadcast and cable outlets have placed more emphasis on securing rights to top sports events like the Olympics or the NCAA men’s basketball championships.

Viewers who tune in to these live “spectaculars” can’t zap the commercials that support the programs, and marketers seem willing to pay a premium to appear in such stuff. Last season, NBC even ran a live, weekly program in which Neil Patrick Harris attempted zany stunts, did musical numbers and clowned around with celebrity guests.

With the three-hour “Raw” airing on Monday, USA will feature five hours of live WWE wrestling each week. Both programs will air live 52 weeks a year.

The debut of a live “Smackdown” comes as two of the WWE’s biggest attractions, John Cena and Seth Rollins, are returning to competition from injuries. And the company is expected to create strong points of differentiation between “Smackdown” and USA’s other live program, “Monday Night Raw,” according to the WWE. A draft will be held before the “Smackdown” launch date to determine which wrestlers on the company’s talent roster will be assigned to which program. Each show is expected to feature separate cast, plots and writing teams.

“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” said Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of WWE, in a statement. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”

WWE and NBCU renewed a programming deal in 2014 that kept the shows on the air. In 2015, the two companies arranged a closer relationship to market both “Smackdown” and “Raw,” in hopes of capturing interest from a broader array of advertisers. Season to date, “Smackdown” has captured n an average of nearly 1.06 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 on a live-plus-seven-day basis, while “Raw” has attracted an average of about 1.85 million.

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/wwe-smackdown-live-usa-1201782569/
WWE.com said:
A SmackDown shakeup is about to completely reshape all of WWE. Beginning July 19, the second longest-running weekly episodic program in television history, SmackDown, will move from Thursday to Tuesday nights and air LIVE each and every week — for the first time ever — at 8/7 C on USA Network, the exclusive cable home to WWE’s marquee properties.

This bold move will have major ramifications for all of WWE and exemplify the New Era, as both Raw and SmackDown will each feature their own unique rosters and rivalries following an imminent Superstar draft.

"WWE's flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV," WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon said. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around th.e world.”

With so many explosive competitors emerging from WWE NXT, and top Superstars like John Cena and Seth Rollins returning from injury, WWE’s star-powered roster has never been stronger. Its historic division and the monumental revelation of SmackDown’s shift to a live format each week reflect the excitement and unpredictability of WWE’s New Era.

What awaits SmackDown on its new night, starting this July? Which live shows will claim your favorite Superstars? What will this all mean for the future of sports-entertainment? Stay tuned as WWE prepares to get shaken up like never before.
According to Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio, the WWE Draft is scheduled for the July 11th edition of Raw in Detroit. In what might make things even more interesting, Brock Lesnar is being advertised for the July 11th Raw.
 
#14 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

FUCK. Are you serious? Fuck the brand split. Not again. They can't even book RAW coherently and competently. All this is will be booking two separate entities as shit instead of one major one.

Smackdown going live looks to be the last ditch effort to save that damaged brand. If a live Smackdown can't draw interest, nothing will...which it probably won't. Especially with this product as SHIT.
 
#27 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

I cant fucking stress how knee jerk this decision is. WWE knows that their ratings (especially for Smackdown) are horrendous and are finally pushing one of their "last ditch effort" panic buttons (Smackdown live and the brand split returning). Everybody will get hyped and excited for about two months but when it becomes obvious that it is still the same old shit, the honeymoon effect will drastically fade away and we'll be back here on square one asking why WWE sucks.

It's inevitable.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Why in the hell are people excited about this? WWE can't even book a 3 hour show right, much less 5. Maybe it's just me, but I don't miss the brand split one bit, because it doesn't matter if RAW & SmackDown! are split, if they can't book a decent show.

I cant fucking stress how knee jerk this decision is. WWE knows that their ratings (especially for Smackdown) are horrendous and are finally pushing one of their "last ditch effort" panic buttons (Smackdown live and the brand split returning). Everybody will get hyped and excited for about two months but when it becomes obvious that it is still the same old shit, the honeymoon effect will drastically fade away and we'll be back here on square one asking why WWE sucks.

It's inevitable.
No to mention, this. It's very clearly WWE trying their damndest to save their ratings. And just like when they brought back Shane, it doesn't change the actual problem with WWE, that being their shitty creative team, & their out of touch 70 year old owner.
 
#25 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Awful idea. It's already hard enough to fill 3 hours worth of Raw with a full roster, I can't imagine how terrible Raw will be with a half roster.

Wasn't the last brand split around the time everyone quit watching? Taking a strong roster and cutting it in half isn't the answer.... Anyone willing to watch 5 hours of WWE per week (8 hours per week one a month) is insane.
 
#203 · (Edited)
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Awful idea. It's already hard enough to fill 3 hours worth of Raw with a full roster, I can't imagine how terrible Raw will be with a half roster.

Wasn't the last brand split around the time everyone quit watching? Taking a strong roster and cutting it in half isn't the answer.... Anyone willing to watch 5 hours of WWE per week (8 hours per week one a month) is insane.
Excellent point. The feeling of burn out this is going to create will be immense. The product is already over saturated to the point of insanity this is just going to increase that.

They already have trouble padding out a 3 hour RAW with a full roster, now they'll only have half a roster to do it. Eeek.
 
#107 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Oh please no.

I'm happy for Smackdown going live but if they think they can run a 3 hour Raw with half of this roster, they've fucking lost it.
They only use half the roster on RAW now. The rest get lost in the Superstar and Main Event shuffle. If anything this will allow more Superstars to showcase their talents.
 
#40 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Fuck brand split, they will botch it BADLY.
 
#167 ·
Don't know what everyone is so excited about. Look I know I'm "negative" all the time but let's just be honest and stop kidding ourselves. All this means is 5 hours of live bullshit every week instead of 3 hours of live bullshit and 2 hours of pre-recorded bullshit.

You're literally kidding yourselves if you think there is some sort of sea-change in booking on the horizon. There isn't. VKM & co. are the masters of illusion. All they are doing is trying to keep the wolves at bay. I think this brand split will backfire and expose this hideously weak roster and creative team for what they are; charlatans and shills.
 
#264 ·
I've been trying to read through this thread but there is so much parroting of talking points, like do you even critical think, bro?

People keep saying how bad Raw would be with a half roster but we literally see the same people on Raw every week and it's way less than half the roster.

People also keep saying if they can't book a 3 hour Raw how will they book 5 hours but if both shows are already bad what exactly would be the difference?

Smackdown already has a seperate creative team with Road Dogg and Ryan Ward so this won't affect Raw but with a renewed focus on Smackdown and seperate rosters it will become more than a repeat of Raw.

Can anybody really say this move has any downsides? At worst nothing changes, at best Smackdown improves dramatically, more talent gets used on both shows, injuries decrease and the midcard titles become more important.
 
#336 ·
I'll never get why people are excited for this. WWE have no idea what they're doing anymore. People complain we get the same matches every week, but are happy to split the roster in to two?

I mean, with a full roster to choose from, we have had multiple matches of:

Ziggler v Corbin
Usos vs bullet club
Reigns and AJ thrown in the above
New day vs Vaudevillains, League of Nations
Same women's matches for months

Who can forget the days of Cena and orton?

:imout
 
#337 · (Edited)
Right, you're already getting the same matches, so splitting the roster won't change that, making what you said a moot point. The roster is split, same matches. The roster is unified, same matches. What it will do is give us an alternative to Roman Reigns.

You're right, Vince has no idea what he's doing, but Vince doesn't pay attention to SmackDown. Never has, never will. They're different writing teams, and if he's not looking, you might just be able to produce a semi competent show again. WWE causing the unified brand split is what caused them to get so bad in the first place.
 
#59 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Why would anyone want a brand split when the current creative direction is so shit, if they can't book the current roster what makes people think that raw and smackdown being split would be any different?
It's so their obscure fav could get a "push" or "win" a "world" title. Like it did any good to Ziggler/Swagger/Christian/ADR/Big Show etc :maury I can already hear people saying both belts were on the same show and the whc curtain jerked most of ppvs. Yeah, but even during the peak of the brand split era, Booker T, Mysterio or Khali won the whc belt and mainevented their respective ppv. They didn't won the main belt, feuded with the main guys and are not regarded as true world champ either.
If you're not beating the number 1 guy holding the main belt( be it Reigns/Rollins/Orton etc) it doesn't matter in the long haul.
 
#51 ·
Re: Smackdown To Air Live Starting This July + Draft/Brand Split Is Returning!

Well this will be interesting at least. It has the potential to make more stars, but they HAVE to treat the shows equally. Trim RAW down to 2 hours.

Interesting to see what will happen to the women's and tag titles too considering the general lack of depth.
 
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