At first blush, you wouldn’t expect a CFO of a major media company to talk about pro wrestling at an investor conference. But that’s exactly what happened Thursday morning at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference.
John Nallen, who serves as senior executive VP and CFO for 21st Century Fox, discussed the Fox broadcast network’s deal for the WWE’s “SmackDown Live” franchise, which shifts over from USA beginning in 2019.
“It’s a 50 to 52-week-a-year sport with no repeats. It’s a new novella every week,” said Nallen, comparing it to the other sports that Fox airs, including the NFL, college football and pro baseball.