World Wrestling Entertainment is moving its flagship show Monday Night Raw to Netflix starting in 2025.
This will be the first time in the program’s 31-year existence that it won’t air on cable TV. Raw has aired on the USA Network, TNN, Spike TV, and SciFi/Syfy during its three-decade run.
Also, this is the streaming giant’s first major foray into sports programming. The deal is reportedly for 10 years and more than $5 billion. In comparison, Amazon spent $1.2 billion for Thursday Night Football, while Apple paid $250 million for MLS games, and $85 million for exclusive MLB games, according to Forbes.
According to the company, the show will stream on Netflix in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Latin America, before other countries and regions are added at a later, unspecified time. All WWE shows that take place outside of the U.S. will also be exclusive to Netflix.
“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”
On Tuesday, TKO Group Holdings added former WWE star Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson to its Board of Directors.
Raw debuted on Jan. 11, 1993, on the USA Network, where it currently airs. According to WWE, Raw brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year and is the network’s top show.
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