WWE and Netflix announced a landmark agreement to take their flagship show, Monday Night Raw, to Netflix. The long-term partnership marks a programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since it premiered 31 years ago.
Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Latin America among other territories. Additional countries and regions will be added over time. Outside of the U.S., Netflix will also be the new home of all WWE shows and specials like SmackDown, NXT, and all their Premium Live Events like WrestleMania.
Here’s what some of the people in on the deal had to say about it.
“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.”
Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO
“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.”
Bela Bajaria, Netflix Chief Content Officer
“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.”
Nick Khan, WWE President
Monday Night Raw and most other WWE programming hitting Netflix (outside the US) is a huge deal for wrestling fans and Netflix. The company is moving into the live sports area, and Raw is one of the most-watched programs on TV. We’ll have to see how this affects the program and if it’ll still have advertisements or any other changes.
For more on Wrestling, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.