WWE Sign Contract With Sky TV Until 2019 (UK) - How Could This Affect The Network?

WWE have signed a new deal with SKY TV in the UK which will see Raw, Smackdown and Main Event available on the service until 2019. In addition to increasing their rights fees with the top pay-TV provider in the Country, the deal now means that ALL of their PPVs will actually be pay-per-view in the market instead of some being available on standard Sky Sports (as was the previous deal).

The companies re-newed deal with SKY comes just as SKY are getting their first major competition for sports in the UK with British Telecoms' BT Sport channel snapping up the rights to the UFC and, far more importantly, multiple Premier League and Champions League rights.

WWE have always partnered with SKY in the UK, but this could seriously affect what the WWE Network can offer in terms of live PPV streaming for their standard monthly price (once the service is launched in the Country - which isn't scheduled to happen until the end of 2014 at the earliest).

  Unlike the US, SKY is the be all and end all TV service for WWE in the UK - it's unlikely that the promotion could undercut their PPV TV company like they can in the US because SKY carries ALL WWE programming over here.