WWE ‘Raw’ has officially moved to Netflix from USA Network, starting January 2025. WWE and Netflix aim to bring the popular wrestling show closer to more viewers around the world. According to WWE President Nick Khan, Netflix has achieved a lot and it is time for them to join forces with WWE.
For more than $5 billion, Netflix has acquired the rights to stream WWE Raw, Smackdown, and Wrestlemania for 10 years. This is one of Netflix's moves to expand its live programming, following the success of live streaming boxing and football.
For Bela Bejaria, Netflix's Chief Content Officer, her connection to WWE is personal. She grew up watching wrestling with her grandfather. She believes that WWE has a broad, multi-generational fanbase. She said the combination of WWE and Netflix was a natural fit because they both have large communities.
Starting this year, WWE events will expand to other countries such as “Raw” and “Smackdown.” One of the highlights of the first live episode on Netflix was the appearance of John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes. The show will be available weekly on Netflix in countries like the U.S., Canada, and Latin America — and will be coming to India in April.
Even though there are some concerns about live streaming glitches, WWE is confident. According to Paul Levesque, WWE Chief Content Officer, even if there are problems at the beginning, if they get millions of views it's still worth it.
