TKO President Pitched WWE To Netflix: “It’s Not Really Live Sports”
The President of TKO Group, Mark Shapiro, came up with a creative way to pitch WWE to Netflix executives.
As the year 2024 winds down with just over two months to go, the anticipation grows for the WWE association with Netflix to begin.
It was announced in January 2024 that WWE Monday Night Raw will be heading to Netflix, which is by far the biggest streaming service in the world with an incredible 282 million worldwide subscribers.
The deal between WWE and Netflix starts in January 2025 and is reportedly worth $500 million per year and is set to run for 10 years, bringing the total value to a staggering $5 billion. There is also an option for Netflix to get out of the deal after five years while also having the right to extend the deal for another decade. The deal is more than just Raw being on Netflix too.
Most countries outside of the US will get other WWE shows on Netflix like the Premium Live Events, Smackdown, and NXT as well. Other unnamed territories and countries will see Raw move to Netflix over time.
Netflix Executives Were Told That WWE Is “Up Your Alley”
Mark Shapiro is the President of the TKO Group which includes the massive WWE and UFC businesses. While speaking at Leaders Week London (via Sports Business Journal), Shapiro explained how he pitched Raw to Netflix executives by reminding them that it’s not live sports, it’s scripted entertainment, which is what Netflix loves.
“It’s up your alley. Why don’t you dip your toe in? It’s not really live sports. It’s scripted entertainment. It’s fictional. It’s very serial in nature. It’s every single week. It’s shown on Peacock to not just be a huge driver for acquisition but incredible on the retention side of things, because it’s every single week, and therefore churn is reduced, at least given the WWE fans in universe.”
While Netflix historically hasn’t shown live sports on its streaming service, they are diving in headfirst on Christmas Day when it shows two NFL games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as the Baltimore Ravens facing the Houston Texans.
In addition to Raw coming to Netflix for US viewers, all WWE fans will also get to watch a documentary series covering the company. Since Netflix is known for producing great documentaries about other sports, it could lead to a boost for WWE viewership as well.
The first episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix is expected to take place on January 6, 2025, with the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles as the rumored venue for that episode.