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TV News - Television News - Cable Networks
CW, 'SmackDown' part ways
By Andrew Wallenstein
Feb 8, 2008
World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW are ending negotiations to keep primetime series "SmackDown" on the air.
WWE issued a statement late Thursday declaring the companies "have agreed to conclude our partnership," citing a Jan. 31 deadline period. The program will remain on the air until the end of the current broadcast season.
While the WWE statement expressed gratitude to CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves and CW president Dawn Ostroff, it also signaled that negotiations have already begun with other networks.
"Smackdown" had been a two-hour block on both The CW and its predecessor,
UPN, for the past decade.