It has been announced that World Wrestling Entertainment will be moving its weekly television show WWE Raw to Netflix in January 2025.
It is a major streaming deal worth more than $5 billion.
Huge Deal for WWE and Netflix
This is a big move both for the world’s biggest pro wrestling company and Netflix, and it comes as perhaps WWE’s biggest Superstar, John Cena, is set to retire and focus on his Hollywood career. (Much like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.)
READ MORE: Catch up on every episode of WWE Raw, recapped here.
The Associated Press reports, “TKO Group Holdings Inc., which houses WWE and UFC, said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that the agreement is for 10 years, with Netflix having an option to extend the deal for an additional 10 years. There’s also an opt out available to Netflix after the initial five years.”
The story continued:
“Raw,” which debuted in 1993, has produced 1,600 episodes to date and features wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and Rhea Ripley. The three-hour program currently airs on USA Network and its media rights were considered a hot commodity over the past several months, particularly after the WWE return of CM Punk in November, with many speculating it could land at any number of networks or streaming platforms.
“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a prepared statement.
WWE said Tuesday that “Raw” will air on Netflix starting in January 2025. This will impact viewers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Latin America and other territories. WWE said that it will also impact additional countries and regions over time.
A New Day in Sports Entertainment
“This deal is transformative,” Mark Shapiro, TKO president and COO, said in a prepared statement. “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.”
WWE also said that its content – documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects – will be available on Netflix internationally starting next year. (You can check out the latest WWE Raw Results here.)
Things are changing in broadcasting and streaming in particular.
And WWE appears to be the company taking the first step into the future of sports.
