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Rumors have been getting hotter and heavier that WWE has signed a new television rights deal to stick with NBCUniversal, keeping Monday Night Raw on USA, Friday Night SmackDown on SyFy, and Total Divas on the E! channel. An announcement of the new deal is expected tomorrow, Thurs., May 15, 2014, at the NBC upfront presentation for the upcoming year on cable.
The latest hint of as much came via a tweet sent out by the Bella twins earlier today:
Here in NYC for the #NBCUpfront Us Bellas will be takin' over the red carpet tomorrow! #TotalDivas @nbc @ENews @WWE
— The Bella Twins (@nicoleandbri) May 14, 2014
In year's past, WWE has sent talent like Sheamus and CM Punk to NBC upfront presentations to represent the company.
WWE strategically maneuvered so all its programming would be available at once to make a package more enticing for potential new partners. The hope was the company would double, or even triple, the fee it currently commands for its content, and opening up negotiations with new suitors would help that along. NBCUniversal retained the right to match any offer, and it was also rumored that WWE didn't want to find a new home but simply get a better deal to stick around.
All signs point to something like that happening, though it remains to be seen just how much the rights fees increased. It looks likely we'll find that out tomorrow.