Netflix invests US$5 BILLION to broadcast WWE Raw exclusively

A Netflix has just consolidated a milestone in the entertainment industry: it closed a historic US$5 billion deal for the exclusive broadcast of WWE Rawthe premier professional wrestling program in the United States.

This milestone represents the first time in its 31-year history that WWE Raw will leave traditional television networks to join the Netflix catalog.

A big step towards innovation in the sector

The contract between the streaming platform and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) will last 10 years and comes into force from January 2025.

Since 2005, WWE Raw has been a pillar of programming on the USA Network, a channel owned by NBC Universal, but the partnership is now ending to usher in a new era on Netflix.

The billion-dollar business highlights the growing influence of streaming platforms in the fight for public attention, showing the strength and investment capacity of these platforms companies.

While WWE Raw’s previous deal with NBCUniversal was worth between $250 million and $260 million annually, Netflix will pay double that, totaling $500 million per year.

Additionally, the deal gives Netflix the option to cancel after the first five years or extend the partnership for another decade.

This new era of broadcasting also promises to expand the reach of WWE Raw to other markets, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Latin America and other territories that may be added in the future.

For Mark Shapiro, president of TKO, the company that owns the weekly program, the agreement represents the union of WWE’s captivating product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach, guaranteeing significant and predictable savings for many years.

In addition to WWE Raw, Netflix will have the right to broadcast, outside of U.Sother WWE programs such as SmackDown and WrestleMania.

For Netflix, this agreement represents another step in its strategy of offering differentiated content and expanding its presence in entertainment niches, particularly in the sports segment.

The company, which has already invested in productions about Formula 1, tennis and other sports topics, sees WWE Raw as an opportunity to delve even deeper into the exciting narrative of the sports worldas expressed by Ted Sarandos, executive director of Netflix.