WWE Raw moves to Netflix next year in $5 billion deal

Netflix is making the tag, as the streaming giant has just acquired exclusive broadcast rights to WWE Raw. The deal, worth $5 billion over the course of 10 years, will find the flagship show moving from the USA Network to Netflix in 2025.

This is just the latest major business deal related to the WWE over the past year, as the sports entertainment company merged with the UFC under Endeavor’s TKO Group Holdings in April 2023.

In a statement, TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro said of the deal, “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.”

WWE president Nick Khan stated, “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.”

But USA won’t be completely void of WWE content, as SmackDown will move from Fox back to the network in the fall. However, it’s worth noting that Netflix will host SmackDown — in addition to the pay-per-view events, the most famous of which are the “big four” of Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series — outside of the US. The January launch of the WWE and Netflix partnership will presumably begin with the first Monday of the year.

USA has been home to Raw for the majority of its 30+ years in existence. The program launched in 1993 with New York’s Manhattan Center serving as the central venue until it branched out to other cities. To date, more than 1,600 episodes have aired. As per the press release, Raw draws more than 17 million unique viewers per year.

This move further demonstrates Netflix’s interest in live streaming, as they have previously aired Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage special, the Love Is Blind reunion and more.

What do you think of the WWE teaming up with Netflix? Will this change how you watch pro wrestling? Give us your thoughts on the matter below.