WWE ‘Monday Night Raw’ Moving to Netflix in Exclusive 10-Year Deal
Netflix and WWE have announced a monumental partnership that will see the WWE’s long-running weekly show, Monday Night Raw, move to the streamer starting in January 2025.
According to Deadline, the deal is set for ten years and worth more than $5 billion and will see Netflix become the exclusive home of Raw. The weekly, three-hour wrestling show has aired on broadcast cable television around the world for 31 years, the majority of them on its current channel, the USA Network.
The deal also extends to Canada, the U.K., and Latin America, with other territories expected to be added over time. In addition, for those outside the U.S., the deal includes WWE’s other programming, including Smackdown, NXT, documentaries, and the company’s Premium Live Events (PLEs), such as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam.
“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, President and COO of TKO, the new public entity formed out of the WWE’s recent merger with Endeavor’s UFC. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years.”
Shapiro continued, “Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”
WWE
The deal marks Netflix’s first major push into live programming, something the company has explored in recent years. The streamer previously considered a bid for Formula 1 rights before ESPN renewed its contract with the auto-racing franchise. It has also aired live stand-up comedy specials, a golf competition, and a technical-gaffe-filled Love Is Blind reunion show.
“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, said. “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.”
The news comes just months after WWE announced Smackdown will be leaving Fox and returning to USA Network in October 2024 as part of a five-year rights deal said to be worth roughly $1.4 billion. Smackdown originally aired on USA from 2016 to 2019.
WWE President Nick Khan said of the new Raw deal, “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.”
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