(Photo : Ethan Miller/Getty Images) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – A WWE brand is proven on a display earlier than a WWE information convention at T-Mobile Arena on October 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WWE has reached a groundbreaking settlement with Netflix, designating the streaming big because the unique residence for the corporate’s flagship present, Monday Night RAW, beginning in January 2025.
This marks the primary occasion in its 31-year historical past that RAW will transition from conventional broadcast tv to a streaming platform.
The settlement is valued at $5 billion over ten years, signifying that Netflix pays WWE $500 million per yr over the subsequent decade.
Netflix will function the unique new platform for RAW within the U.S., Canada, U.Okay., and Latin America, with the potential addition of extra nations and areas.
Aside from being the longer term residence of the longest-running weekly episodic tv present of all time, Netflix will develop into the first vacation spot for all WWE reveals and specials outdoors the United States, which incorporates Raw, SmackDown, NXT, in addition to Premium Live Events like WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble.
Additionally, Netflix will stream WWE’s documentaries, authentic collection, and upcoming tasks internationally from 2025 onwards.
However, the corporate’s different main present, Friday Night SmackDown, will proceed to be broadcast on linear TV. SmackDown presently airs on Fox, and WWE has signed a brand new five-year deal price $1.4 billion to maneuver the present to the USA Network (which presently broadcasts RAW) beginning in October 2024.
The WWE-Netflix deal carries vital implications for the streaming platform’s future and the panorama of dwell sports activities broadcasting.
WWE has a historical past of pioneering business requirements, from closed-circuit and cable to nationwide syndication, pay-per-view, residence video, and the institution of a stand-alone streaming platform.
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What Does WWE-Netflix Deal Mean For Live Sports Broadcasts?
1. Netflix is getting into the sports activities livestream market.
Before the WWE deal, Netflix had not ventured into internet hosting dwell sports activities occasions, however the transfer suggests a response to competitors pressures.
Amazon Prime and NBC’s Peacock have discovered success in streaming NFL video games. Peacock paid $110 million for unique rights to at least one playoff recreation, particularly the Wild Card Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Apple TV’s first yr beneath a major 10-year worldwide deal for unique Major League Soccer broadcasts has confirmed to be a fantastic deal. The platform skilled a surge in subscriptions, notably following the arrival of Argentine legend Lionel Messi to Inter Miami in 2023.
2. UFC could be the subsequent to go to Netflix.
With WWE and UFC now beneath unified possession with TKO Group Holdings, the blended martial arts promotion may very well be the subsequent entity to transition to Netflix after the expiration of its broadcast rights with ESPN in 2025.
The UFC broadcast rights have considerably contributed to the expansion of ESPN+, the premium streaming service related to the sports activities community. ESPN additionally maintains management over the rights to pay-per-view broadcasts, serving as a considerable income driver for the community.
Netflix may very well be occupied with snagging the subsequent broadcast deal of the UFC out of ESPN‘s palms, given blended martial arts’ big and rising attain, which has the potential to spice up subscription and income numbers.
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