Why WWE television didn’t end up on ESPN

In an interview with TheWrap.com, ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming and Scheduling Burke Magnus explained why RAW and Smackdown didn’t end up with ESPN:

“We did talk to WWE during their process some months ago. Took a hard look at it, we’re obviously big fans of them. We just went into business with them on the XFL indirectly. But we couldn’t find a fit for it, primarily based on schedule.”

“As you know, those properties are 52 weeks a year live. And I’m proud to say we have a pretty good problem, which is that we can’t clear anything 52 weeks a year live. We have a pretty full portfolio of content as it is.”

“We parted ways and they got a good deal with their new partners, continuing at NBC (Universal’s USA Network) and adding Fox. So all’s well that ends well for them — but we gave it a good try.”

(Pro Wrestling & MMA World)