WWE is bringing ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown’ highlights to Channel 5.
The sports entertainment giant – which recently made the move to BT Sport after 30 years with Sky Sports – has made another huge announcement and confirmed its weekly shows will be broadcast on free-to-air television for the first time ever.
Starting on February 2, the network will air a one-hour edition of ‘Raw’ every Sunday at 10.30am, while a similar version of ‘SmackDown’ will be on every Saturday in the same timeslot.
Andy Warkman, Vice President and General Manager, WWE UK & Ireland, said: "Bringing highlights of our flagship programming to free-to-air television for the first time in the UK with Channel 5 is a significant step for the WWE brand, and more great news for our passionate fanbase in the UK."
And James Tatam, VP Commercial, Digital and Operations, Channel 5, added: "WWE has strong appeal throughout the UK and across generations so we’re very excited to be bringing their high-quality entertainment to an even bigger free-to-air audience in the UK."
Meanwhile, the deal will also see NXT UK air weekly on Wednesdays at 12am on Paramount Network, and content will be made available on Channel 5’s streaming service My5.
Fans will also get to watch full seasons of ‘Total Divas’ and ‘Miz and Mrs’ on the online platform, as well as via Pluto TV in the UK.
The new development comes after WWE launched on BT Sport earlier this month, with live broadcasts and repeats of Raw, SmackDown and NXT, as well as NXT UK, and monthly pay-per-views via BT Sport Box Office.
WWE and Channel 5 announce TV deal
