REVEALED: How WWE-Netflix Talks Began
How talks between WWE and Netflix began
Mar 7, 2024
The major partnership between WWE and Netflix will begin in January 2025, with Monday Night Raw set to air on the streaming service in the United States and internationally. The new deal has much greater implications internationally as the WWE Network will be shuttered and WWE's library will move across to Netflix, while SmackDown and NXT will also air on the platform. This includes in the United Kingdom as WWE are set to leave TNT Sports at the end of 2024.
Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, & Telecom Conference, TKO President Mark Shapiro revealed talks between WWE and Netflix actually began over the possibility of airing NXT.
"When we met with Netflix, Apple, and other streaming platforms, the conversation always started with, 'When are the PLEs up?' When we met on Raw, always started with that. 'We're not here to talk about the PLEs.' We are in the sense that it's part of the narrative. When you watch Raw and SmackDown, things weave in and out of the PLEs. It's an important part of the narrative concept. 'Why wouldn't Netflix be there?' Let's just get out of the gate with Raw strong. We have time. Let's see how that partnership goes and that marketing delivers and the viewership shows up and we're monetising it from a sponsorship, consumer product, site fee standpoint, and then we'll talk about where it goes, if it doesn't go back to Peacock," Shapiro said.
"We're patient and that has bode well for us. We had a lot of pressure when we announced the SmackDown deal. Market was freaking out. 'Raw, NXT, why didn't they announce it? They don't have anybody. There is no demand.' There was pressure, but we said we were going to be patient and it was going to work in our favour. It over-delivered on our expectations. Never did I think Netflix was coming in. Not in my wildest dreams. When we first started talking to Netflix, it was frankly about NXT. It wasn't even about Raw. That just turned into a bigger conversation. Then the Raw conversation became a global conversation."
WWE NXT will instead air in the United States on The CW from October 2024, while SmackDown will move to the USA Network in October 2024. WWE Raw is currently without a home in the US for Q4 2024.
H/T Fightful
