Netflix announced this Tuesday that it had obtained the broadcast rights to "Raw," the iconic program of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The streaming platform has paid more than $5 billion to broadcast the sporting event live, along with other shows of this type such as "SmackDown," "WrestleMania" and "Royal Rumble," over the next 10 years.
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 Netflix announced in a press release, WWE will begin airing in January 2025 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Latin America, among other territories yet to be announced. The broadcast will air live every week. It is also the first time that "WWE Raw" abandons its broadcast on traditional television to move to the streaming platform. Something that its content director, Bela Bajaria, highlighted:
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.
WWE celebrates its alliance with Netflix
WWE officials also celebrated their partnership with Netflix. Mark Shapiro, president of TKO Group Holdings to which WWE belongs, defined the pact between both as "transformative":
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.
Words similar to those spoken by the president of WWE, Nick Khan, who also assured that the association of this sporting modality with the streaming platform was the right decision for both of them:
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.
The WWE thus joins the important live sports bet which is being carried out by Netflix, which has already broadcast tennis matches such as the one between the Spaniards Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz or the broadcast of a golf match in which important Formula 1 racers and prominent golfers participated.
