Netflix is set to make its biggest move into live programming on Monday with the debut of Raw, the weekly World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) show that has been a television mainstay for more than 30 years. WWE is relocating its flagship program from Comcast’s USA Network to Netflix under a landmark five billion dollars, 10-year deal that also includes rights to Smackdown and Wrestlemania. From what is understood, the streaming giant will air Raw live every Monday across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and more, with plans to expand to additional markets like India by April.
“When you look at Netflix and its global reach and the power of its brand, it was time that our brand met up with theirs,” Nick Khan, president, WWE, said. Despite the potential technical challenges based on Netflix’s prior live events, which included NFL games and a boxing match featuring Mike Tyson and YouTube star Jake Paul. “If it blinks a couple of times and we do 60 million [viewers], I’m good with that,” Paul Levesque, chief content officer, WWE, added.
According to the company, Monday’s Raw will kick off from Los Angeles with appearances from stars like John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes. The WWE, which boasts more than 1 billion followers across social media, plans to expand its live events globally in 2025 and aims to discover new superstars from international markets.“Combining the intensity of WWE fans with the fandom and reach of Netflix just made sense,” Bela Bejaria, chief content officer, Netflix, said.