Netflix debuts shift into sports programming and acquires WWE

Although Netflix has had various reinventions, its latest change might be the most successful and dangerous for competitors. For the next decade, Netflix has acquired World Wresting Entertainment (WWE) programming and the rights to livestream WWE’s flagship show, “Monday Night Raw,” for a whopping $5 billion to further invest in the lucrative live sports market. 

“Welcome to the Netflix era,” said chief WWE content officer Paul Levesque to thousands of eager fans at the Los Angeles Intuit Dome, according to Netflix via X.

This is not Netflix’s first dive into livestreaming. The streaming service previously succeeded in livestreaming the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight and two Christmas NFL games. These events drew an immense audience, with the NFL games averaging over 30 million global viewers, according to the NFL.

Solely streaming live events like these may prove unsustainable for Netflix. Many are likely to abandon the platform until the next big game.  

However, the WWE Monday Night Raw’s 32 seasons, hundreds of episodes and dedicated fan base could provide the consistency and long-term engagement that Netflix needs. With each new episode lasting around two to three hours, the show could keep new viewers coming back for new episodes for years. Netflix will be streaming new episodes every Monday at 8:00 p.m. EST. 

As for the show itself, it saw double the viewership on Netflix compared to its cable numbers. The debut included a return of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the ring as well as the announcements of John Cena’s retirement and the Royal Rumble , making this an attention-drawing night.  

While viewership will likely decrease as these stars leave,  the show might be saved if it can convince the audience to continue subscribing to Netflix, giving the streaming company a good return on investment.  

Netflix’s ability to properly livestream the show has been questioned as low frame rates and freezing screens were abundant in previous attempts. So far, “Monday Night Raw” has demonstrated minimal technical issues due to its comparatively smaller audience, leading to less strain on the Netflix servers and better overall quality.  

“Monday Night Raw’s” move to Netflix also gives the show a bigger budget, wider audience, flexible runtime and more creative freedom, meaning more risks to infuse new life into the decade-spanning show.  

“(W)e were basically able to bring a big audience, a young audience, a more global audience than linear television,” said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos in an interview with Deadline talking about what the WWE Netflix partnership means for broader audiences. 

Securing the rights to stream live sports may be the new spark to ignite the streaming wars as Disney promotes its ESPN+ bundle, and Amazon Prime Video has already secured many NFL games. Although, Netflix shows no signs of stopping as it has already scored the rights to livestream the FIFA women’s soccer world cups, according to Netflix. 

Ultimately, the decision to move into live sports may be a game changer for Netflix that fundamentally shifts the platform’s priorities, or it may simply mean another price increase.  

Glass is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion.