Current:Home > ContactWWE’s ‘Raw’ is moving to Netflix next year in a major streaming deal worth more than $5 billion -Secure Growth Academy
WWE’s ‘Raw’ is moving to Netflix next year in a major streaming deal worth more than $5 billion
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:51:49
WWE’s weekly television show “Raw” will move to Netflix next year as part of a major streaming deal worth more than $5 billion.
TKO Group Holdings Inc., which houses WWE and UFC, said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that the agreement is for 10 years, with Netflix having an option to extend the deal for an additional 10 years. There’s also an opt out available to Netflix after the initial five years.
“Raw,” which debuted in 1993, has produced 1,600 episodes to date and features wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins and Rhea Ripley. The three-hour program currently airs on USA Network and its media rights were considered a hot commodity over the past several months, particularly after the WWE return of CM Punk in November, with many speculating it could land at any number of networks or streaming platforms.
“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in a prepared statement.
WWE said Tuesday that “Raw” will air on Netflix starting in January 2025. This will impact viewers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Latin America and other territories. WWE said that it will also impact additional countries and regions over time.
“This deal is transformative,” Mark Shapiro, TKO president and COO, said in a prepared statement. “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.”
WWE also said that its documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will be available on Netflix internationally starting in 2025.
The move of “Raw” to Netflix follows the announcement in September by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. that “Friday Night Smackdown,” would be moving from Fox to USA Network in 2024 under a new five-year domestic media rights partnership with NBCUniversal. As part of the agreement, WWE will also produce four prime-time specials per year that will air on NBC, starting in the 2024/2025 season. This will be the first time that WWE will air on the network in prime time.
Speaking on CNBC, TKO CEO Ariel Emanuel said that he didn’t believe there’s a move away from traditional television networks or cable networks, but that streaming platforms were becoming another option, as seen through its “Raw” deal with Netflix.
“This is the streaming play. For us, it’s the next step,” he said.
WWE also announced Tuesday that it reached a deal with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that will give the star the rights to his nickname. Johnson will also join the board of TKO Group.
Shares of TKO Group jumped more than 19% in early trading.
veryGood! (6)
Related
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Ranking
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
Recommendation
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Travis Hunter, the 2
Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now