"WWE Smackdown Live" is changing house, with the long series of USA Network wrestling that plans a jump to Fox in 2019.

Fox Tuesday has announced a five-year contract with WWE, the huge conglomerate of wrestling, for "SmackDown" as a two-hour weekly event that will last 52 weeks a year starting October 4, 2019.

"SmackDown", which has been in operation for almost 20 years, has been home to USA Network since 2016. The move to Fox will give the program a bigger dimension. broadcast the television at home. The United States will continue to broadcast WWE's flagship product, "RAW," which will be broadcast on the cable network in 1993. In 2018, "Raw" has an average of 3.6 million viewers, while "Smackdown" in draws 2.9 million.

The "SmackDown" deal is part of the Fox network's restructuring in anticipation of the split of most of 21st Century Fox, which Disney and Comcast are all seeking to acquire. One of the highlights of the new Fox is about sports, including an agreement "Thursday Footbal Night". "SmackDown" would also attract male viewers, making it a good choice for other shows, including Tim Allen's recently re-launched "Last Man Standing" comedy.

WWE President Vince McMahon sees synergy, calling the partnership a "perfect match" in a statement. "Move SmackDown Live" to broadcast TV and have the opportunity to leverage Fox's extensive portfolio of world-class sports events will expand the reach of our flagship programming. "

Fox Sports president Eric Shanks praised the deal in a statement: "We are big fans and we know that together, Fox Sports will be the leader of live events in the foreseeable future."

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