SUMMARY
- WWE and Netflix announced a long-term collaboration that would see the promotion's main weekly show, RAW.
- Netflix has agreed to a $5 billion deal to air the company's flagship RAW program for the next ten years.
WWE and Netflix announced a long-term collaboration on January 22, 2024, that would see WWE’s main weekly show, RAW, available on the top entertainment platform in the world. The Red Brand of the promotion is departing from linear television for the first time since its founding 31 years ago, which signifies a significant programming change. Fans have been buzzing since the shocking announcement broke on the internet.
In what is World Wrestling Entertainment’s largest venture into live event streaming to date, Netflix has agreed to a $5 billion deal to air the company’s flagship RAW program for the next ten years. Beginning in January 2025, the agreement will greatly increase Netflix’s utilization of the technology needed to show live sports events.
WWE Raw is getting in the ring with Netflix!
Starting in January 2025, Netflix will exclusively stream WWE Raw in the US, Canada, UK, & Latin America. Every single week, all year long. https://t.co/4hiJ2bBpQG pic.twitter.com/i7lz1k80YL
— Netflix (@netflix) January 23, 2024
As part of the agreement, Netflix will also be able to stream all WWE shows outside of the United States. These shows include SmackDown, NXT, Premium Live Events, and all the WWE-produced documentaries. This is surely a monumental move for the company going forward. TKO has been on a roll since taking over the Stamford-based promotion, as they recently appointed The Rock to the Board of Directors.
This partnership is one that will break new ground, and take @WWE to new heights. Thrilled to bring #WWERaw to @Netflix, coming January 2025.
Now we change the game!!!! https://t.co/ridOlqq0Gc
— Triple H (@TripleH) January 23, 2024
TKO’s President and COO, Mark Shapiro, called the deal ‘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,” stated Shapiro. “We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria.
WWE’s President Nick Khan also commented on the monumental deal. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base,” stated Khan.
With such a rich history and recognition, RAW’s arrival on Netflix will surely bring a lot of fans to the product. Triple H also tweeted about the signing, promising new heights for the Stamford-based promotion. Fans were shocked to see the partnership and are looking forward to seeing WWE on Netflix.
USA Network is the current home for WWE RAW
WWE’s flagship show is currently a part of the USA Network and performs at the top. USA Network is the current rightsholder for RAW with a five-year deal valued at more than $1.3 billion. October 2024 is when the current contract for the Stamford-based promotion with USA Network for RAW expires.
At USA Network, the show is presently the most popular program, drawing in 17.5 million unique viewers annually. RAW is one of the top-performing television programs in the 18-49 age group, and it trends on X (formerly known as Twitter) 52 weeks a year when new episodes are being released. WWE has over a billion followers on social media across all platforms.
SmackDown will be moving to USA Network in the future
Up until 2019, Friday Night SmackDown and other WWE flagship programs enjoyed a fantastic run on the USA Network. In 2019, Fox hosted the exclusive premiere of The Blue Brand. This decision propelled SmackDown to unprecedented levels of commercial success.
The return of SmackDown to the USA Network in October 2024 was already announced earlier. The value of the transaction exceeds $1.4 billion. Compared to their existing Fox arrangement, this is about 40% more. Undoubtedly, the TKO WWE-UFC merger in September 2023 has significantly improved the product. Both publicly and financially, the product is well-liked by the public, as seen by its high weekly viewership.
