Impact Wrestling is looking for a new home. The show currently airs on POP TV in the United States but the promotion is looking for a new broadcast partner. Internationally, Impact airs on the Fight Network and on various other channels in different markets.

The deal to air Impact Wrestling in the United States on POP is up at the end of this year. The show is expected to continue on POP in 2019, however, until Impact is able to find a new broadcaster for the show in the USA.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Impact has been meeting with several channels but has yet to strike a new deal.

“Impact is expected to remain on Pop until they can negotiate a deal with a new station,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “They have talked to a ton of stations. Besides the ones mentioned, they’ve also inquired into Bein.”

The issue with Impact having spoken to BeIN is that the station has an exclusive deal with MLW.

The other networks Impact is believed to have met with include SyFy, TruTV, and WGN America. In recent weeks, POP TV has pushed back Impact’s start time to 10 PM. This has caused the show’s start time to also be pushed back in other markets.

The future of IMPACT Wrestling’s future on television has grown uncertain after it was announced that Pop TV was moving the company’s flagship show out of primetime.

Last week, news broke that Impact TV was being moved from the Thursday night’s 8PM time slot to a less desirable 10 PM start time. As a result of this setback, Impact hired former WWE executive Andrew Whitaker to help manage the PR fallout of the story.

Whitaker has a bit of a checkered past with the wrestling industry following his exit from WWE and previous occupation with GLORY kickboxing before he let go from that organization as well. More recently, Whitaker has been consulting from his own company based out of Stamford, Connecticut.

Interestingly, Whitaker has ties to the former SPIKE TV — now the Paramount Network — and the hope is that perhaps he could potentially spark interest in bringing IMPACT wrestling back there again. Unfortunately, Paramount Network has largely shifted away from the programming parameters at the old SPIKE TV with the network launching several high profile original shows including ‘Yellowstone’, which was one of the highest rated new series in 2018.

Sources close to Paramount Network have stated that the network is staying focused on that original programming rather than adding elements similar to what previously aired on SPIKE TV. Then again nothing is written in stone so it’s impossible to tell what the future might hold now that Whitaker is involved with IMPACT.

In addition to the tumultuous situation with the television deal, production is also suffering right now at IMPACT.

Michael Vettor, the head of IMPACT TV, had apparently reached out to several MLW production personnel over the past 10 days to contract them to work the Bound for Glory pay-per-view and subsequent television tapings. Several people were contacted including at least two producers and several cameramen but only one person ultimately accepted the job due to Vettor’s reputation and aggressive approach when trying to secure production staff.

This all adds up to a volatile time at IMPACT wrestling, especially after holding their biggest pay-per-view event of the year and now the company faces a ton of uncertainty going forward into late 2018 and beyond.

This week’s episode of Impact Wresting averaged 286,000 viewers on Pop TV. This is up from last week’s 272,000, but down from the previous week’s 312,000 viewers. This week’s episode was headlined by Matt Hardy and Tyrus vs. Jeff Hardy and World Heavyweight Champion Drew Galloway.

There was no late night replay, as Pop TV has moved it to Saturdays at 11:30 AM ET. Last week’s replay averaged 66,000 viewers, and the previous week’s replay averaged 76,000.

This week’s show was ranked #132 in the Top 150 cable shows for the night.

The advertising rates for Impact Wrestling on Pop TV have been released online, and it may shed some light on why certain cable channels are hesitant to do business with TNA. James Caldwell of PWTorch.com reports that Impact Wrestling commands less money for commercials than lower-rated programming on the network, such as Days Of Our Lives reruns, or an airing of the 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail.

Caldwell reported the following ad rates for the March 29th episode of Impact Wrestling, compared to other programs on Pop TV.

TNA Impact 3/29 first-run airing revenue: $18,414
Avg. cost for a 30-second ad: $335

Days of Our Lives 3/29 revenue: $44,135
Avg. cost for 30-second ad: $1,100-1,250

Another example Caldwell reported was a 30-second ad during You’ve Got Mail costing $406. It was reported that TNA’s only revenue from Pop TV is a cut of the ad revenue, so Pop TV might be ending up with less than the numbers mentioned above for Impact Wrestling commercials. Pop TV recently removed the Tuesday night replay of Impact Wrestling.

Yesterday, the official Twitter account of MLW, former WWE writer Court Bauer’s podcast network which has broken various stories in the past, posted a pretty important piece of TNA news:

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/687659702218526720

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/687659994527969281

This helps explain the item from a couple days ago about TNA increasing talent spending again, which came on the heels of Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com reporting that TNA had offered James Storm two and a half times what WWE offered him for NXT. TNA had made cuts last year after the move from Spike TV to Destination America, having reportedly gotten a big cut in rights fees, though not as much as you’d expect given the disparity between the networks. Various contracts were dropped, there were numerous reports of production contractors and wrestlers being paid late, and the Impact Wrestling show itself had a noticeable drop in production values.

With the move to Pop, while there had been reports that they weren’t being paid, there was no further drop in production quality and Mike Bennett leaving both ROH and NJPW indicated that TNA’s financial situation was improving. You also have to wonder if Pop TV president Brad Schwartz publicly being so optimistic that Impact could get Spike level numbers for Pop (so far, they haven’t come close) is indicative of Pop maybe overpaying relative to Impact’s actual value.

Some good news for TNA: Variety is reporting that Pop TV, the home of Impact Wrestling, will be increasing its footprint to the tune of 8 million additional homes over the course of the next few months. These new homes will come from the network signing deals with Cablevision (also known as Optimum), AT&T U-Verse, and Wide Open West (also known as WOW!). As someone who lives in Cablevision’s service area, if their history is any indication, this move is to add homes that got cable companies’ own listing services in the pre-interactive guide days in lieu of carrying Pop’s predecessors, The TV Guide Channel and The Preview Channel.

If you have @optimum you now have @PopTV Channel 154

I invite you to watch @IMPACTWRESTLING Tuesdays at 9pm ET pic.twitter.com/XEM8mUJI4n

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) January 15, 2016

According to the Variety article, this will give Pop a universe of 88 million homes, but they still have a lot of hurdles to overcome as they average just 170,000 viewers in prime time. The conundrum for Pop is that while its past as just a TV listing channel meant it was in a fairly large number of homes, it doesn’t have the history as a destination that other long-standing networks like USA Network, TBS, TNT, and Spike have.

Pop president Brad Schwartz told Variety that the addition of Cablevision is key because so many advertising executives live in their service area on Long Island in the New York City suburbs. “A lot of our advertisers haven’t been able to watch the channel.”

Tuesday night’s taped edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on POP TV averaged 288,000 viewers for what was the second ever episode of the show to air on TNA’s new weekly cable home.

This week’s show featured a main event of Kurt Angle vs. Drew Galloway, as well as Eric Young capturing the TNA King Of The Mountain Championship by defeating Bobby Roode.

The average of 288,000 viewers for last night’s show was an increase of 33,000 viewers compared to last week’s live premiere on POP TV, as the live debut show drew 255,000 viewers. It’s also worth noting that in their second week on the station, with their first taped show, TNA drew a bigger audience on POP TV than they did for their final episode on their previous cable home, Destination America.

The final edition of Impact Wrestling to air in prime time on Destination America drew 269,000 viewers. While POP TV is available in 20 percent more homes than Destination America, historically it has taken a while before the full audience settles in at the new cable station when a wrestling show changes networks. In this case, TNA not only changed the channel they were airing on, but the night of the week was changed as well.

• UFC Fans FREAK OUT On CM Punk, Punk Calls Them “Butt Hurt Dummies”

https://youtu.be/WgNo0T5ujT0

TNA and Bobby Roode announced that in addition to the conclusion of the TNA World Title Series tournament with the semifinals and finals, Roode will be defending the King Of The Mountain title on the two-hour live premiere of Impact Wrestling on POP TV.

With that now known, below is a look at what’s in store for the first real Impact Wrestling episode on TNA’s new cable television home.

* Bobby Roode defends his KOTM Title

* World Title Series Semi-Final: Ethan Carter III vs. Bobby Lashley

* World Title Series Semi-Final: Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young

* World Title Series Final to crown a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion

Like 2015, I will continue to be a fighting champion this year…January 5 the KOTM title WILL be defended. pic.twitter.com/oO0NQeaukV

— Robert Roode (@RealRobertRoode) January 2, 2016

KOTM Champion @REALBobbyRoode to defend this Tuesday 9/8c on the LIVE @PopTV premiere: https://t.co/vepSVZYlQD pic.twitter.com/wwKXI7b6Sf

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 3, 2016

• Former TNA Knockout Suffers BRUTAL 1st Round KO In MMA Debut! (FULL VIDEO)

https://youtu.be/CjOlMG1swP0

Former Ring Of Honor Tag-Team Champion Michael Bennett and his real-life wife, former WWE Diva and ROH performer Maria Kanellis, have both reportedly signed deals with TNA Wrestling, according to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

According to the weekly newsletter, Bennett and Kanellis likely received a big deal, one that is financially guaranteed in nature.

Bennett and Kanellis, along with the third member of their on-air team, Matt Taven, finished up with Ring Of Honor last month when they dropped the ROH Tag-Team Titles to War Machine at the ROH “Final Battle” event. Bennett and Kanellis officially wrapped up business with ROH at the television tapings the day after the Final Battle event, as it was the final date on their contracts.

In related news, TNA has also wanted to “shore up” their roster by making sure their key players are under official contracts and that they acquire whatever talent that they can, as long as it makes financial sense.

TNA handled their last cable television move the same way, as just prior to and immediately following their debut on Destination America, they re-signed those that had deals that were about to expire and pursued outside free-agents in an attempt to freshen the brand.

It’s also worth mentioning that TNA has been airing mysterious vignettes promoting “The Miracle” for their debut episode of Impact Wrestling on POP TV, their new cable home now that the company no longer has a deal with Destination America. There are those who feel this could be the build to the TNA debuts of the former ROH stars, however that is strictly speculation at this point.

The premiere of Impact Wrestling on POP TV is scheduled to air live for two-hours this coming Tuesday, January 5th, beginning at 9pm EST.

• Former TNA Knockout Suffers BRUTAL 1st Round KO In MMA Debut! (FULL VIDEO)

https://youtu.be/CjOlMG1swP0

TNA posted the above teaser for “The Miracle” on ImpactWrestling.com and their official YouTube channel on Friday afternoon to hype up the debut edition of Impact Wrestling on POP TV.

The description that accompanied “The Miracle” video on their official website, but not on YouTube, reads as follows:

MIRACLE (Noun) – A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency

TNA is officially done airing their programming on Destination America and will officially run their weekly flagship program, Impact Wrestling, on Tuesday nights on POP TV. After airing some non-first run programming on their new cable home, TNA will officially launch Impact Wrestling on POP TV on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.

• Former TNA Knockout Suffers BRUTAL 1st Round KO In MMA Debut! (FULL VIDEO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtCSS3Spy2o

TNA Wrestling premieres on Pop TV tonight with a 2-hour “Best of 2015” special at 9/8c. This is the first half a 2-part series, with the second part airing next Tuesday night, December 29th in the same time slot. This is your chance to get caught up on the major events that took place in TNA this year as we get closer to the January 5th premiere of Impact Wrestling on Pop TV.

The January 5th live premiere of Impact Wrestling will feature the semi-finals and finals of TNA’s World Title Series.

• TNA Planning Surprise Debuts For January 5th Impact Premiere

https://youtu.be/c5786OFveKk

The Wednesday, December 16th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, the final show on Destination America, drew 155,000 viewers in the 11pm time slot.

The 155,000 figure marks a 42 percent decrease from last week’s show, which drew 269,000 viewers in the regular 9pm time slot.

For the second week in a row, Impact Wrestling failed to make the top 150 shows on cable television.

With TNA wrapping up on Destination America, Impact Wrestling will be moving to POP TV with the finals of their World Title Series tournament on January 5th.

• Rousey-Holm II Canceled?, McGregor’s UFC 194 Pay + CM Punk’s UFC Opponent!

https://youtu.be/WgNo0T5ujT0

As TNA’s premiere on POP TV draws closer, the promotion is said to be “aggressively going after some talent whose contracts with other promotions are either set to expire or are free agents right now,” according to a report in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

In the case of one particular act, TNA has talked about using outside programming as a way to lure them into signing with them. It’s worth pointing out, however, that when TNA moved to Destination America, similar claims were made until they failed to draw the kind of viewership that the network had anticipated.

Right now, there are talents at least listening to offers, as TNA is obviously looking to secure some “surprise debuts” for their first show on the new network on January 5th.

The Ring Of Honor talents whose contracts expired recently would obviously be on the top of that list, as would some American talents working in overseas promotions whose deals are also up in time for the 1/5 live debut on POP TV.

As things stand currently, TNA is wanting talent to be with them and not have additional deals with groups like New Japan Pro Wrestling, however in some cases that could change based on the specific talent involved, as some have enough leverage that they would simply refuse an offer under those conditions.

• Rousey-Holm II CANCELED?, McGregor’s Pay For UFC 194 + CM Punk’s UFC Opponent!

https://youtu.be/WgNo0T5ujT0

Pop TV President Brad Schwartz recently spoke with Jim Varsallone of MiamiHerald.com to discuss how they became the official cable television home of TNA Impact Wrestling. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On how Pop TV became the new cable television home for TNA Impact Wrestling:

“Dixie and the Impact team were looking for a new home for their series. They had huge success on Spike. Millions of viewers watching every week, and they really enjoyed that success. In switching to another network [Destination America] which didn’t have the distribution that Spike had, they obviously noticed a little bit of a hit to the success that they had.”

On how their deal came about:

“So [TNA was] actively looking for a new television partner, and I think made the rounds and met with a lot of cable networks to see where a home might be. We were on their list of calls, and they came in [about a couple of months ago], and we had our entire team meet with them and listen to the pitch and listen to what they wanted to do — where they saw the company going, where they saw [pro wrestling] going. That’s how it came to our attention.”

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCNDDYeVrRI

TNA’s deal with Pop TV may not be a very lucrative one for the #2 wrestling company in America. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Pop TV is not actually paying TNA for their programming under their new deal.

This appears to put TNA in a worse position than when they were on Destination America, as they were being paid by them for their programming. The cancelled shows in India could also be more bad news for TNA. The tour of India was being organized with their sponsor Sony Six, and losing them could be a major financial blow.

TNA has cut most of their expensive contracts, and more budget cuts may be on the way with no cash flow coming in from television programming in the U.S.

Pop TV brought in $71 million dollars in ad revenue in 2014, and they get just 2 cents monthly per home from cable & satellite providers. Destination America had $55.4 million in ad revenue in 2014, but got 7 cents monthly per home from service providers.

Related: TNA’s Tour Of India Postponed Indefinitely

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his Q&A section at JRsBarBQ.com, fielding questions from topics such as TNA’s new deal with Pop TV, the possibility of Kurt Angle showing up at WrestleMania or Abyss jumping to WWE and more. Below are some of the highlights.

On how TNA should handle changing their TV product now that they are moving to Pop TV:

“If I was TNA I would think very strongly on how I revamp my TV presentation and to develop a new, game plan for the future. Lots of ways to accomplish this but they do need a plan that is well thought out and one that they are able to execute.”

On if he thinks Kurt Angle will appear at WrestleMania next year:

“I’d say highly unlikely but as close to a no as I can get without saying it. Ship’s sailed or so it seems. Anything is possible.”

On lots of wrestlers getting hurt due to a lack of selling in matches:

“Many wrestlers take too many unnecessary chances, are often times reluctant to sell so that tey can look stronger and they have ot gained the skill set of mat /submission wrestling. It’s sad and it’s simply not a case of me being too old school.”

On the possibility of Abyss going to WWE at this stage in his career:

“Abyss’ offer to go to WWE was years ago and he’s happy where he is especially at this stage of his career. You’re thinking about a decade too late for any Abyss to WWE talk.”

On whether or not Bobby Lashley should be mentioned in the same sentence as Brock Lesnar and if TNA has dropped the ball with him:

“Bobby has really come into his own in TNA the past several months but he never had the amateur career to the level of Lesnar. Two, entirely different athletes. I’m a fan of Lashley’s work both in the ring and in the MMA cage.”

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

TNA sent out the following press release on Thursday hyping Impact’s move to Pop TV starting January 5th:

FANDOM LIKE NO OTHER… POP AND IMPACT WRESTLING PARTNER TO BRING FANS RINGSIDE FOR WEEKLY EVENT BROADCAST PREMIERING ON TUESDAY, JAN. 5, 2016

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – Nov. 19, 2015 – Get ready for #ImpactOnPop. Pop, a network that celebrates the excitement of being a fan, will soon become the exclusive U.S. television home of IMPACT WRESTLING, the hard-hitting, high-flying global sports sensation enjoyed by millions of fans around the world.

Pop will premiere IMPACT WRESTLING with a live two-hour, action-packed broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, and the show will continue to air every Tuesday night at 9:00 PM, ET/PT. The show features some of the biggest stars in professional wrestling, including Jeff and Matt Hardy, EC3, Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, The Wolves, Eric Young, Tigre Uno and Gail Kim.

“Wrestling has been a fan-fueled staple since the ‘50s, and continues to be some of the most-watched appointment television today. The die-hard fandom and extraordinary passion surrounding IMPACT WRESTLING captures the spirit of Pop as a network that celebrates fan-driven entertainment and excitement,” said Brad Schwartz, President of Pop. “We’re committed to this new partnership and psyched to bring the show’s loyal fans a dedicated night to watch their favorite show on Pop every week.”

IMPACT WRESTLING is a strong global brand seen on networks in more than 120 countries around the world and broadcast in 17 languages. Its fans are some of the most devoted and socially active in sports, with more than 15 million aggregated social media followers and nearly 700 million video views on YouTube, making it the seventh-most-viewed sports channel, ahead of MLB®, NHL®, MLS® and FIFATV®.

“Pop’s enthusiasm for our partnership and the network’s fan focus is a perfect fit for our company,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “Wresting has always been at the forefront of pop culture with the most passionate, loyal fan base. We’re thrilled to be in business with Pop and to bring IMPACT WRESTLING to more than 80 million homes.”

To find IMPACT WRESTLING on Pop, go to http://poptv.com.

Pop on the Web: poptv.com
Pop Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PopTelevision
Pop Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopTV
Pop Instagram: @poptv

TNA Impact Wrestling will premiere on POP TV (the former TV Guide Channel) on Tuesday, January 5th at 9pm EST. The 1/5 premiere will air live and then from there, taped episodes will air on Pop every Tuesday night.

The news comes after months of uncertainty regarding TNA’s future and their relationship with Destination America. TNA President Dixie Carter was in Los Angeles earlier this week, presumably finalizing the deal. On Wednesday night, TNA’s official website featured a countdown clock which culminated in today’s major announcement.

Pop TV is available in approximately 75 million homes across the United States, far more than Destination America, which was only available in 57 million. Where to watch:

• Verizon FiOS: Channel 694 (HD) | Channel 194 (SD)
• DirecTV: Channel 273 (SD)
• Dish Network: Channel 117 (SD)

For more information on how you can watch watch Impact Wrestling come January, visit PopTV.com and use their “Channel Finder” feature.