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As details have emerged, we’ve covered the ongoing collaboration between Netflix and WWE RAW, who entered a long-term partnership earlier this year. Now, they have announced multiple shows are coming as part of the same deal.
WWE Raw is coming to Netflix!
— WWE (@WWE) January 23, 2024
Starting in January 2025, @Netflix will exclusively stream #WWERaw (in the US, Canada, UK, & Latin America) every single week, all year long! https://t.co/SOSACjfp7w pic.twitter.com/lTdSXMep9K
This year, Netflix has shown great interest in buying streaming rights to live sports events. More recently, they bought the rights to Christmas Day NFL games and hosted their own Netflix Cup golf event, but it was their landmark $5 billion WWE deal that was the first shot across the bow. Why is the streamer now so interested in sports?
Live sports events entertain in a way that fictional shows can’t match. On the whole, streaming entertainment is becoming very competitive. Besides Amazon or Apple, sites like YouTube are also huge competitors for streaming video content. Livestreaming is also popular on other sites, like those in the iGaming industry where slots or casino games are broadcast to customers. This means the average user online has a lot of choices, from Netflix documentaries to YouTube streams, or gambling games at Paddy’s. Sports has an even deeper relationship with broadcasting live events, so it makes sense that streaming services are trying to become the home of live TV. Fans love to experience sports events in real-time, more than other kinds of entertainment, so acquiring exclusive streaming rights is a great way to get attention from fans of a sport.
That’s why streaming services have started to explore sports, which looks to be their next battleground. While Netflix has been making deals with the WWE and the NFL, Amazon has made deals with the Diamond Sports Group and the NBA, while Apple enjoys a global partnership with Major League Soccer. Now that platforms have started jostling for sports rights, Netflix’s historic $5 billion deal looks better than ever. Now they’ve announced they have ambitious plans for a reality show and documentaries in 2025.
F1 fans will know that the racing organiser collaborates with Netflix for a series called Formula 1: Drive to Survive. It provides fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the sport, including the lives of the drivers when they aren’t racing circuits on the asphalt. It has been a success for both F1 and Netflix, culminating in F1 drivers participating in that Netflix Cup golf event we mentioned.
Source: Unsplash
You may see where this is going – TKO COO Mark Shapiro announced similar plans for the WWE as part of their Netflix deal. Shapiro announced “a lot of ancillary shoulder programming” connected to the WWE, at this year’s JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference.
Fans are used to getting peeks behind the scenes. In fact, backstage stories are a staple and were especially popular during the Attitude Era. The comparison to Drive to Survive is a good sign, as it takes a similar dramatic approach to behind-the-scenes events, a formula that the WWE pioneered long before Netflix became the phenomenon it is today.
Back in January, talks of a docuseries had already been mentioned in negotiations with the streaming service, so fans may get multiple shows out of the $5 billion deal. That could mean an ongoing RAW reality show plus multiple documentaries for special figures and the year’s largest events, like the lead-up and aftermath of WrestleMania.
As January 2025 approaches, all will become clear when Netflix becomes the official home of RAW. Having spent $5 billion on this WWE collaboration, fans can guarantee that Netflix will make the most of this opportunity by providing plenty of entertainment in the future, on and off the mat.
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