Bonnie Hammer Strike Again. WWE Style

[kingfish]

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|94505|1|,00.html


NBC Universal Gets 'Raw' with the WWE
(Monday, April 04 09:07 AM)
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Less than a month after parting ways with Spike TV, WWE Entertainment has reached a new three-year agreement with NBC Universal which will bring the signature wrestling program "Raw" back to USA Network.
"Raw" launched on USA in early 1993 and was one of the cable network's most popular shows before it left for Spike TV in September 2000.

"I'm thrilled to be back in business again with Vince and Linda McMahon," says USA President Bonnie Hammer. "I led the USA team that helped grow RAW into a true pop phenomenon, and it's great to welcome it home."


In March, Spike TV announced its intention to end the relationship with the World Wrestling Entertainment to concentrate on using original programming to lure its coveted demographic of young male viewers. Easily Spike TV's most popular show, "Raw" has regularly averaged between 4.5 and 5 million viewers per week in recent seasons, though its audience has shrunk since its USA peak in the late '90s.
Using the entire NBC Universal platform, WWE will continue to produce regular Monday night episodes of "Raw" NBCU's Telemundo will score Spanish-language versions of "Raw" and the network mothership, NBC, will schedule two yearly 90-minute "Raw" specials to air late night Saturday.

"This broad and diverse distribution will provide WWE excellent platforms from which to reach our existing fans as well as broaden our audience," says WWE CEO Linda McMahon. "We're very happy to be returning to USA Network, where we experienced some of our greatest successes, and to NBC, where we had tremendous success with Saturday Night Main Event in the 1980's."

[Darrell Lawrence]

"I led the USA team that helped grow RAW into a true pop phenomenon, and it's great to welcome it home."

No ego problem there for Ms Hammer, is there? :LOL: :D :LOL:

[Sci-Fi]

It's a good move for USA Network. WWE attracts a high percentage of 18-49 male viewers. The ratings have been pretty much flat over the years, so a network can count on the same number of viewers and demographics each week.

[kingfish]

USA originally had WWE entertainment only to drop it. I wonder if they will put it on Friday nights like they did with the Kojak premiere. Kojak had a higher audience than Nu galactica no wonder they moved it to Sunday's at ten.

[Darrell Lawrence]

SciFi, definatly a good move for USA.

Paul, it'll stay on Mondays.

[Fragmentary]

Rumor is that Spike is already extending some interest in picking up a competing wrasslin' franchise to fill the void.

UPN has also ended it's contract with the WWE. I guess UPN just gotten tired of having any shows at all that people might watch. :rolleyes:

[Senmut]

Why would any NitWerk want to do that, Frag?

[Fragmentary]

Why would any NitWerk want to do that, Frag?
Well, if you have shows that people watch, you start getting respectable ratings. Then what? More meetings with advertisers, better revenue... that just leads to people wanting raises and higher expectations from the stock holders.

No, it's better to end anything that might keep people from changing the channel. No viewers, makes it much easier to run a network. So many fewer people to keep happy that way.

[bsg1fan1975]

and fewer paychecks to hand out at the network Frag!

Man, my set in tv schedule is being shot to frack! JAG is ending, American Dreams was moved from Sundays to Wednesdays thanks to NBC and now this!