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WWE was already huge before it moved onto Netflix, but now it’s even bigger. The content deal, valued at more than $5 billion over ten years, has enabled people in countries all over the world to have much easier access to all the main wrestling weekly and special events.
Aside from all the live content, WWE is developing an impressive wrestling ecosystem on Netflix that spans documentaries and behind-the-scenes content. This provides people with a variety of touchpoints to discover and develop a passion for WWE.
Today’s entertainment market is all about ecosystems that allow people to enjoy different formats in the same place. It’s something that has worked particularly well in the gambling industry, where leading operators need to encourage players to stay on their platforms.
For example, the Sky Vegas casino online experience spans a wide range of games in different categories, including slots, table games, and live casino options. On top of that, players can stay in the Sky ecosystem and find betting and bingo options within a few clicks.
Netflix is already similar in the sense that it’s a bustling ecosystem for television series and films. Now, WWE is building its own smaller ecosystem within that, creating a smaller, interconnected "bubble" within Netflix’s wider entertainment platform. People who watch WWE content on the platform will be recommended other options, often as soon as one programme has finished. When they open Netflix, they’ll also find all the available WWE content grouped. For hardcore wrestling fans, Netflix effectively transforms into a WWE-only platform.
The best thing about WWE being on Netflix is that it gives viewers many different ways to enjoy it without having to change to a different service. Raw is the main weekly live programme, but viewers in most markets can also follow SmackDown and NXT. Then there are the Premium Live Events like WrestleMania and Royal Rumble, which were once sold primarily through pay-per-view.
On top of all of this fresh content, there’s a huge back-catalogue of archived footage. This allows fans to easily go back and relive their favourite moments from WWE history and compare the past stars with today’s performers. In the past, it may have been hard to do this, but Netflix has created a small revolution.
Netflix is also extending its WWE programming in other ways, such as with the behind-the-scenes documentaries. Options like WWE: Unreal allow viewers to experience what it’s like in the writers’ room where all the creative decisions are made. There’s a lot of potential to branch out into other offerings as well, focusing on some of the most legendary WWE stars from past and present.
It’s clear that Netflix is already becoming the ultimate home of WWE, and the wrestling ecosystem on the platform is continuing to grow. This will help many more people get into it and will also ensure it appeals to hardcore fans.
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