WWE reported its 2019 third-quarter financial results Thursday, touting $186.3 million in total revenue, which was a slight drop from 2018's third quarter.

In the Q3 report, WWE attributed the drop from $188.4 million in revenue during last year's third quarter to a decrease in live-event ticket and merchandise sales. WWE's live-event net revenue went from $26.7 million to $23.2 million, and its consumer product revenue fell from $19.6 million to $17 million compared to 2018 Q3.

Despite the drop, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon provided a positive outlook due largely to SmackDown recently debuting on Fox and NXT moving from WWE Network to USA Network:

"During the quarter, we remained focused on expanding the reach of WWE's brand with the successful debut of Friday Night SmackDown on Fox Broadcast and NXT on USA Network. With our flagship programming now spanning both broadcast and cable throughout the week in the U.S. and our expanding roster of international distribution partners, we remain excited about our ability to deepen the engagement with our fans around the world."

SmackDown on Fox debuted to 3.9 million viewers this month before experiencing significant drops each week, while NXT debuted on USA Network with over 1 million viewers last month before dropping due, in part, to the debut of AEW Dynamite on TNT in the same time slot.

WWE also reported an average of 1.51 million paid subscribers to the WWE Network and continued progress on other digital platforms.

In comparison to the third quarter in 2018, WWE's digital video views increased by 12 percent and its hours consumed on digital and social platforms increased by 14 percent.

WWE projects that its adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization will fall in the range of $180 million to $190 million for 2019 as a whole, which would be an all-time record for the company.

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