How WWE Had Netflix Plan In The Works For Years
WWE had a Netflix move in mind “years prior” to signing a deal with the streaming giant.
After months of hype, WWE Raw will debut on Netflix on January 6th and the company is said to want the highly anticipated show to be at the same level as a Premium Live Event. As the hours countdown to Raw, The Athletic has released a new interview with Brandon Riegg, the Netflix executive who led the team that negotiated WWE’s global multi-billion dollar deal with the company.
Reigg spoke about the negotiation process, saying WWE “knew that this window of opportunity was coming up to take Raw to the marketplace,” and he believes that the company’s president, Nick Khan, had “identified Netflix as his preferred partner years prior.”
There were obstacles to bringing the promotion’s content to the streaming services, though, with one big barrier being the different TV rights deals it has all over the world. However, Reigg noted that Khan took steps to make sure the deals would come up for renewal “within a fairly short proximity.”
At the end of 2023, WWE brought Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, into the conversation and from there, things proceeded surprisingly quickly.
“It was something that intrigued us, I think, for all the reasons that fans or followers of the sport understand. The Netflix and WWE teams came together in December and within a couple of weeks, the broad outline of an agreement was struck.
“It’s quite incredible, given the magnitude of the deal and the size of the jump for WWE, taking their flagship show and moving it to a streaming platform. Similar for us, this is our first foray into this big sports entertainment space.”
WWE Raw Netflix Debut Set To Run For Longer Than Three Hours
It has been reported that WWE Raw’s Netflix debut will run for three and a half hours, making use of its newfound flexibility on the streaming platform. The stacked show will kick off with a “lengthy promo” from Triple H detailing the promotion’s journey to Netflix and will feature the return of The Rock as well as an appearance from John Cena as he begins his retirement tour.
The card will see CM Punk taking on Seth Rollins while Roman Reigns will look to re-establish his dominance as he faces Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat.