Topline
Netflix is quickly adding to its slate of live sports programming by launching its weekly live broadcasts of the WWE “Raw” program on Monday with a star-studded premiere episode, just weeks after it streamed the NFL Christmas Day games and the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight.
Netflix will begin broadcasting WWE “Raw” on Monday. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesKey Facts
Netflix will kick off its partnership with WWE with a premiere episode set to air Monday, which will feature a star-studded slate of guests including an appearance from rapper Travis Scott, who wrote the new WWE “Raw” theme song.
Other wrestling stars slated for appearances at the premiere include John Cena, the wrestler-turned-actor who said he will formally retire from wrestling this year, as well as Logan Paul, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.
The premiere launches Netflix’s weekly broadcasts of WWE “Raw,” one of its flagship wrestling programs that previously aired Mondays on the USA Network, which still retains the rights to another major WWE program, “SmackDown,” in the United States.
Netflix will, however, broadcast “SmackDown” to viewers in some non-U.S. territories, as well as specials like “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble” for international viewers.
Netflix and WWE struck the deal, valued at $5 billion according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, for a 10-year period, though Netflix has the option to exit after the first five years.
When Does The Premiere Episode Air?
The first WWE “Raw” stream begins at 8 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 6. The event will air live from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. For viewers who miss the live broadcast, Netflix says episodes of WWE “Raw” will be available to watch immediately after the live show ends. The premiere episode will feature a match between reigning women’s world champion Liv Morgan, who will fight to defend her title from Rhea Ripley. Other matches during the episode include Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa, Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso and CM Punk vs. Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
Surprising Fact
WWE also partnered with X last year to broadcast 5-minute wrestling matches on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform. WWE maintains a large audience on X, with more than 14 million followers.
Tangent
Billionaire Vince McMahon and his wife Linda McMahon founded WWE together in 1980, and have since separated but not divorced, with Linda leaving the brand in 2009 to pursue a political career, including two failed Senate campaigns and a stint leading the Small Business Administration. Linda was named by President-elect Donald Trump as his pick for Secretary of Education in November. Vince McMahon first resigned from his role as CEO and chairman of WWE in 2022 after an investigation revealed he had made more than $12 million in hush money payments to four women, all formerly affiliated with WWE, to prohibit them from making claims of sexual harassment against McMahon. McMahon was elected as executive chairman again in January 2023, but he resigned again in January 2024 after a lawsuit filed by a former employee accused him of sex trafficking, abuse and sexual assault, which McMahon denied as “lies.” The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly probing McMahon’s sex trafficking allegations. Another lawsuit filed in October accused both Vince and Linda McMahon, as well as the WWE and parent company TKO Holdings, of knowingly enabling former ringside announcer Melvin Phillips, Jr. to sexually exploit children in the 1980s.
Key Background
The WWE partnership marks Netflix’s latest dive into live programming, following a string of unsuccessful attempts and its first forays into sports streams. The streaming service first started livestreaming in 2023 with a Chris Rock comedy special, but bungled a live “Love is Blind” reunion, which crashed and aired hours after it was scheduled, that same year. The company’s first sports broadcast, the highly anticipated fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, attracted 60 million viewers but was plagued by glitches and delays that frustrated viewers and sparked a firestorm of concern online among sports fans about whether Netflix could handle streaming the NFL’s Christmas Day games and WWE “Raw” broadcasts. The NFL broadcast, which averaged 30 million viewers for its two games and a Beyoncé halftime performance, was largely glitch-free aside from minor reported buffering and audio issues.
Further Reading
WWE’s ‘Raw’ will stream live on Netflix next year in major sports rights deal (Los Angeles Times)
Netflix has up-and-down first foray into NFL broadcasting after early glitch (The Athletic)
Vince McMahon and WWE accused of allowing ‘rampant’ sexual exploitation of young boys by announcer in new lawsuit (NBC News)
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