Netflix will stream WWE Raw in $5 billion deal
by Financial Times from Ars Technica - All content on (#6J2HG)
Enlarge / Santos Escobar and Joaquin Wilde at WWE Smackdown held at Barclay's Center on December 1, 2023, in Brooklyn, New York. (credit: Sportico via Getty)
Netflix has agreed to a $5 billion deal to screen World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship Raw program over the next decade, in the group's biggest foray so far into streaming live events.
The streaming service is betting that screening three live programs a week will allow it to capture the large and loyal fan base for a show that helped launch the careers of Dwayne The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, and Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
The deal, which starts in January 2025, will significantly expand Netflix's use of the technology that is required to broadcast live sporting events.