World Wrestling Entertainment will begin with its new media partner, Netflix on Monday night January 6th in a long-anticipated move that could shape the future of how we watch sports (entertainment). The WWE Raw broadcasts will stream every Monday and this change could give it a bigger global audience.
As a serial early adopter, WWE has done it again as Monday night marks the first time Raw will not broadcast on linear TV since its inception over 30 years ago.
For Netflix, the 10 year deal with WWE hopes to grow its already robust 283 million global subscribers. Prior to January 6th, Netflix is uploading a lot of WWE content.
According to a Fast Company article, the key goal is to expand global audiences. The article written by Yasmin Gagne notes that WWE head Nick Khan’s primary goal is growing WWE’s presence abroad. This would make sense considering the number of PLE events it did in 2024 including Elimination Chamber in Perth, Australia, Backlash in France, King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia, Clash at the Castle in Scotland, Money in the Bank in Toronto, the Bash in Berlin and War Games in Vancouver, Canada.
With this knowledge, there is always the outside possibility that Wrestlemania could be held overseas.
Based on the number of subscribers and Netflix’s own mandate to grow its base, the WWE should do well on Netflix. A lot of the concern with the deal was that streaming might not be a viable option for many U.S. consumers. Of course, the key we have come to learn is the international market which is to key to expansion not only in WWE but also in other leagues like the UFC.
Leave a Reply