Streaming major Netflix has unleashed a $5 billion investment into live television as it signed a ten-year-long partnership to screen World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship Raw from January 2025. The program will be streamed in the U.S., Canada, Britain, and Latin America, among other territories as specified by the company.
As Reuters reported, Netflix will exclusively telecast all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including Smackdown, and pay-per-view live events like Wrestlemania and Royal Rumble.
Netflix reportedly added 13.1 million subscribers in the closing months of 2023, which earned the streaming platform a record of 260 million subscribers from around the globe.
Over the past year, Netflix started experimenting with live events, like “Selective Outrage,’ with comedian Chris Rock’s stand-up special. Programs like the Formula 1 racing documentary series, “Drive to Survive,” and “Full Swing,” the BTS of a golf documentary series, brought a lot of success for the streaming service. “The Netflix Cup,” was the first live sports event to be hosted by Netflix, featuring athletes from “Full Swing,” and “Drive to Survive.”
Netflix co-chief Ted Sarandos, reportedly mentioned at an investment conference in December, that the streaming of sports documentaries like Formula One, the one featuring David Beckham, tennis, among others has gained the company a niche in “sports adjacent drama.”
The Raw deal is going to be Netflix’s first long-term investment in live events that will hold the confidence of a devoted, multigeneration fanbase who plug into WWE every week, this is a unique streaming experience because, unlike other sports, the WWE is a year-round sport and not seasonal.
Mark Shapiro, WWE owner and the TKO Group Holding’s president and chief operating officer said, that the agreement “dramatically expands the reach of WWE and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.” According to him, the deal is “transformative.” He further added that any technical challenges faced in the course of live streaming will be evened out by next January when the deal comes into effect. “We’ve got an entire year to make sure we’ve got it right,” He added.
