Netflix has struck an exclusive deal to bring WWE’s flagship program Raw and other live shows and events to subscribers starting in January 2025, the streaming service said Tuesday.
WWE Raw is the No. 1 show on the USA Network, with 1,600 episodes over three decades and 17.5 million unique visitors per year. Netflix will also be home to World Wrestling Entertainment’s other weekly programs like SmackDown and NXT. WWE live events outside the US, including WrestleMania, Summer Slam and Royal Rumble, will also be exclusively available on Netflix.
The deal is reportedly valued at more than $5 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Netflix subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Latin America will have access to the shows initially, with more regions and territories to be added over time. The deal is described as “long term.”
The partnership marks Netflix’s newest foray into live events, particularly with sports. Its first-ever live sporting event, The Netflix Cup, was held in late 2023, where it brought together some of the most well-known athletes from Formula One and pro tennis to compete in a golf tournament.
Leaning into live sports programming is a trend in the streaming space. Services such as Max, Prime Video, Paramount Plus and Peacock are including access to live football, basketball, soccer, golf and international sporting events on their on-demand platforms. In some cases, subscribers must pay an additional fee to watch live sports. (Max, for example, will charge $10 a month for its B/R sports add-on.) But in other cases, such programming is included with the plan. It’s unclear whether Netflix plans to raise its prices or if WWE content will only be accessible on certain subscriptions, but members can expect to see even more in the live sports category.
Netflix subscriptions are available starting at $7 a month in the US.
