The main WWE programs have been moved to new streaming platforms. The USA Network signed SmackDown and NXT, while RAW will be televised Netflix starting in January 2025. The chief creative officer of WWE, Triple H, has spoken highly of the company’s fan base recently while talking about RAW’s transition to Netflix, promising their devoted followers will follow them no matter what platform they roam on.
WWE made a significant announcement in January, which was that RAW would be available for streaming on Netflix. WWE and Netflix have taken a significant step forward with this agreement, which is worth $5 billion over a period of ten years. With this arrangement, the popular streaming service Netflix is expanding into live sports. This is a significant shift for RAW since it will be its first move to a new platform since 2005.
Triple H is feeling upbeat about the change. He spoke highly of wrestling fans at the Congress of Sports event put on by the Sports Business Journal. He shared his optimistic view, remarking: “That’s where the world’s going. It’s easy for our fan base. We have a long history of changing locations and a massive amount of our people, like 95% of our audience just completely comes with us. I think this will be no different.”
It’s obvious that Netflix outpaces the USA Network which is the current home of NXT and SmackDown. As a result, it’s safe to say that Triple H is hoping for a more positive reception and more revenue from RAW’s move to Netflix.
Assessing WWE RAW’s profit margin with Netflix against SmackDown’s NBCUniversal deal
By partnering with Netflix, WWE RAW has the capacity to reach a wider audience in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the United Kingdom. The agreement is valued at $5 billion over a decade, which is $500 million per year. Netflix will also stream WWE’s top-tier live events, such as SummerSlam and WrestleMania, in addition to SmackDown and NXT outside of the US.
On the other hand, SmackDown’s deal with NBCUniversal is worth more than $1.4 billion and brings in about $287 million a year on average, which is almost half of what RAW gets from Netflix. With these two very different figures, WWE’s deal with Netflix is an important shift in how they show.
The question now is whether Netflix and WWE RAW will be able to achieve their lofty objectives. Share your takes in the comments.
