WWE has agreed to a lucrative deal with Netflix to exclusively broadcast Monday Night Raw, which could affect the UFC later this year.
In January 1993, Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched the Monday edition of their product called “Raw.” Since then, Monday Night Raw has become a staple in sports entertainment, with hundreds of thousands of people tuning in every week.
Over the past few months, rumors began spreading about Monday Night Raw parting ways with USA Network to potentially sign a massive broadcasting deal elsewhere. Earlier today, those speculations were confirmed by a shocking announcement.
WWE officials have announced they signed a ten-year deal with Netflix to air Monday Night Raw, which starts in January 2025. The new partnership cost the streaming service $5 billion, with WWE having the option to pull the plug after five years or extend after ten years.
Mark Shapiro, the TKO president and COO who overlooks the merger between WWE and the UFC, had this to say about partnering with Netflix:
“This deal is transformative. 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.”
Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, had this to say about working with WWE:
“By combining our reach, recommendations and fandom with W.W.E., we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members.”
WWE Raw is getting in the ring with Netflix!
Starting in January 2025, Netflix will exclusively stream WWE Raw in the US, Canada, UK, & Latin America. Every single week, all year long. https://t.co/4hiJ2bBpQG pic.twitter.com/i7lz1k80YL
— Netflix (@netflix) January 23, 2024
Dana White says the UFC will negotiate a new TV deal “within the next three or four months”
In September 2023, the UFC officially merged with WWE to form TKO Group Holdings. The MMA community has questioned whether the merger would have any direct effects on Dana White’s mixed martial arts promotion, which could be the case later this year.
Following UFC 297 on January 20, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the promotion’s partnership with ESPN. White responded by saying:
“Our deal is coming up. I believe that talks will begin with ESPN within the next three to four months.”
It’s unclear if the UFC has a legitimate interest in leaving ESPN. With that said, the worldwide leader in MMA has been significantly successful business-wise over the last few years, making their upcoming streaming deal potentially worth billions, which Netflix has proven they are willing to give out if the stipulations make sense for all parties involved.
Watch Dana White’s UFC 297 post-fight press conference below:
