WWE (part of TKO Group Holdings) and Netflix today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program ‘Raw’ to the streaming giant. This marks a significant programming shift as ‘Raw’ moves from linear television for the first time since starting 31 years ago. According to a regulatory filing, the 10-year deal is valued at over $5 billion.
Starting in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, and other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. And as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows ‘SmackDown’ and ‘NXT’ and the company’s Premium Live Events, including ‘WrestleMania,’ ‘SummerSlam’ and ‘Royal Rumble.’ WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series, and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.
With 1,600 episodes, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. And since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama, and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, and Charlotte Flair.
The show is also currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, bringing in 17.5 million unique viewers over the year. One of television’s best-performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X while each new episode airs. On social media, WWE has over one billion followers across its platforms.
TKO also announced that it added Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to its board of directors:
KEY QUOTES:
“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.”
– Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria
“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
