WWE Raw's revolution: $5 billion streaming deal with Netflix marks transformative era in sports entertainment
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Jan 24, 2024, 1:03 PM ISTNetflix secures a more than $5 billion rights deal to become the exclusive home of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw from January 2025.
In a monumental move, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and Netflix have announced a game-changing long-term partnership that will reshape the landscape of sports entertainment consumption. The flagship weekly program of WWE, Raw, is set to bid farewell to linear television for the first time in its 31-year history, finding its new home exclusively on the popular streaming platform. The rights deal that cost over $5 billion will span a period of 10 years, putting Raw on the streaming platform in the US, Canada, Britain, and Latin America.
Commencing from January 2025, Netflix users will have exclusive access to WWE Raw. This strategic shift signifies a major programming transition for WWE, marking a departure from traditional linear TV to embrace the vast digital landscape.
WWE Raw is coming to Netflix!
Starting in January 2025, will exclusively stream (in the US, Canada, UK, & Latin America) every single week, all year long! https://t.co/SOSACjfp7w pic.twitter.com/lTdSXMep9K
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As part of this groundbreaking agreement, Netflix will not only host WWE Raw but will also become the primary platform for all WWE shows and specials outside the United States. This includes other weekly programs such as SmackDown and NXT, as well as the much-anticipated Premium Live Events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble.
The deal extends beyond weekly shows, with Netflix becoming the international hub for WWE's award-winning documentaries, original series, and upcoming projects, further enriching the streaming platform's content library starting in 2025.
Currently reigning as the number one show on the USA Network, WWE Raw draws an impressive 17.5 million unique viewers throughout the year. Moreover, WWE boasts a staggering social media presence, with over one billion followers across various platforms.
Mark Shapiro, President and COO of TKO Group Holdings, expressed the transformative nature of the partnership, stating, "This deal is transformative. It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”
Bela Bajari, Chief Content Officer at Netflix, echoed the enthusiasm, saying, “We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix. By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”
This groundbreaking collaboration between WWE and Netflix marks a paradigm shift in the way sports entertainment is consumed, leveraging the global reach of streaming to bring the electrifying world of WWE Raw to audiences around the world. The partnership promises to redefine the future of media consumption and sets the stage for a new era in the ever-evolving landscape of digital entertainment.
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