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TRENDING
Jan. 25, 2024
WWE Agree to Move ‘Monday Night Raw’ to Netflix from 2025 for $500 million
In a major development, WWE has secured an agreement with Netflix, that will see its flagship weekly live pro wrestling event broadcasted exclusively on the streaming platform from January 2025 onwards. That will be the first in its three-decade history that “Raw” has not screened new episodes on a linear television network. By: Dylan Low
The deal
costs $500 million yearly for a ten-year agreement, totalling a $5 billion
commitment by the streaming service. Netflix has the opt-out choice after the
initial five-year duration, or choose to extend for an extra 10 years. Sources
claim WWE’s current five-year deal for US rights to Raw with
NBCUniversal is valued approximately $250 million-$260 million annually.
“We are
excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational
fan base, on Netflix,” announced Netflix chief content officer Bela
Bajaria. “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.”
WWE’s
running deal with NBCUniversal has Raw featured on USA Network until
October 2024. According to inside sources, exactly where Raw will screen
between the end of that deal and the beginning of the Netflix deal is yet to be
decided.
As part of
the agreement, Netflix transitions to the exclusive home of Raw in the
U.S., Canada, the U.K., Latin America and other territories, with extra
countries and regions to be included over time. Netflix will also become the
television home for all WWE shows outside the U.S. That comprises of weekly
shows SmackDown and NXT alongside annual live events like
WrestleMania, SummerSlam and the Royal Rumble, and documentaries, original
series, etc.
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