Picture: Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins – WWE
A groundbreaking development in sports entertainment has just been made as Netflix and the WWE have signed a lucrative new deal, which will see Monday Night Raw move to the streaming service exclusively from January 2025. Netflix will be the home for all WWE content globally outside of the USA.
The landmark deal between Netflix and WWE’s parent company, TKO Holdings, marks a significant shift in the professional wrestling and sports entertainment landscape. Starting in January 2025, Monday Night Raw will become exclusive on Netflix in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Latin America. It has also been announced more countries and additional territories will be added over time.
Smackdown, the WWE’s second brand currently available on FOX, will not be available on Netflix in the US. Instead, Smackdown will be moving to the USA Network later this year. The company’s developmental brand NXT is moving to The CW and will not move to Netflix US. For now, Peacock will also remain the exclusive home for WWE’s premium live events. When the rights come up for renewal, many will question if Netflix will pick them up.
As reported by Variety, the deal is reportedly worth $500 million a year and will run for ten years. This is significantly more than its current five-year deal with NBCUniversal, worth up to $260 million yearly to the WWE.
Picture: WWE performers Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal – WWE
Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of TKO Holdings, had the following to say;
“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.”
The groundbreaking deal is even more significant outside of the United States, which will see Raw, Smackdown, WWE’s developmental brand NXT, and the company’s Premium Live Events such as Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble, original programming and more will be exclusive to Netflix Internationally from January 2025.
How Pay Per View will work on Netflix is currently unclear. Whether or not WWE fans still need to pay a fee to access live events such as Wrestlemania has yet to be clarified. We expect to learn more in the foreseeable future.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn wrestle The Usos for the Undisputed WWE tag team championship during WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images)
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, shared their excitement about the landmark deal;
“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.”
Nick Khan, current WWE President, had the following to say;
In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling, 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.”
Are you excited that the WWE is coming to Netflix in January 2025? Let us know in the comments below!