WWE has been experimenting with the distribution of their content library amid the Coronavirus pandemic and has been receiving favorable results.
On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, WWE replayed the entire 2020 Royal Rumble event on FS1. This is an unprecedented move to see a major WWE pay-per-view play it in its entirety only 2 months after it aired live on pay-per-view.
The event, which featured the return of Edge after 9 years of retirement, Charlotte Flair winning the Royal Rumble for the first time, and the crowning moment of Drew McIntyre at the end of the night, garnered 421,000 viewers, according to Mike Johnson of PWInsider.
The show would be followed by a new episode of WWE backstage which also garnered its best rating in weeks. You can learn more about that at this link.
WWE will be continuing its relationship with FOX as WrestleMania 36 will be offered through the FOX Sports app as a live pay-per-view and the kickoff show for both nights of WrestleMania 36 will be viewable on FS1.
In addition to their partnership with FOX, WWE has been re-airing old WrestleMania pay-per-views on ESPN. WrestleMania 35 is slated to air on ESPN this weekend prior to WrestleMania 36 going on the air.
