Netflix has secured the rights to air WWE’s Raw on its platform from January 2025.
In a statement on the company’s website, the streaming giant reveals a long-term partnership with WWE’s flagship program, exclusively available in the US, Canada, UK and Latin America. It will be the first time Raw has not aired on linear television since its inception 31 years ago.
The world’s largest streaming platform has also agreed to the rights to become the new home for all WWE shows and specials outside of the US, including weekly shows Smackdown and NXT, and Premium Live Events such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble.
The partnership will run for 10 years and is worth more than $5 billion.
WWE legend and current Chief Content Officer of the company, Triple H, endorsed the announcement on X by saying: “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!”
Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, said: “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.”
Comcast paid about $265 million a year for the rights to Raw in 2018, but the owner of NBC Universal acquired the rights to Smackdown, considered the second-best WWE package, for about $287 million a year in 2023.
WWE Raw is coming to Netflix!
Starting in January 2025, @Netflix will exclusively stream #WWERaw (in the US, Canada, UK, & Latin America) every single week, all year long! https://t.co/SOSACjfp7w pic.twitter.com/lTdSXMep9K
— WWE (@WWE) January 23, 2024
This announcement comes just hours before Netflix is expected to report its fourth quarter 2023 earnings.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson joins TKO board
Finally. The Rock has come back to WWE…well not exactly WWE, but their parent company the TKO group. Yes that’s right, as if wrestling fans hadn’t had enough big news today there is one more update to share.
Dwayne Johnson the film star who rose to fame as the legendary wrestler The Rock has been appointed as a board member for TKO (who also own UFC). As part of the deal, he will receive $30 million in stock and full ownership of his trademarked name “The Rock.”
How big is WWE Raw and what will it bring to Netflix?
Raw is the No.1 show on USA Network, bringing in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of a year. It trends on X 52 weeks a year during the airing of each episode. It has more than one billion followers across multiple social media platforms.
With such a large audience, it’s no surprise Netflix has chosen it as its first dabble into the world of live sports as it looks to further expand on its 247.2 million paid subscribers globally.
