Starting January 1, 2025, the WWE Network, that highly valued independent streaming service of the wrestling world, launched in 2014, will no longer exist. The end of this era will give birth to a new beginning as WWE partners with Netflix to extend its content to a wider and bigger audience over the globe. Here is all one needs to know about this big change in WWE’s digital strategy.
Effective January 1, 2025, WWE Network going dark around the world after WWE chose Netflix be the international home for all of their shows. Disney’s net deal is worth over $5 billion over a ten year span and furthers WWE chairman “Vince” McMahon’s plans to trim down his digital footprint while capitalizing on Netflix international reach.
Starting in January, Netflix will open its treasure chest of a WWE collection; here’s what fans can expect:
Weekly flagship shows including Monday Night RAW, SmackDown, and NXT.
Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam.
Historic moments from WWE’s bottomless archives, the most iconic matches, and legendary rivalries.
Netflix will also have some exclusive live content, starting with the stream of Monday Night RAW on January 6 in the new year, starring WWE Superstars John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Bianca Belair, plus special guests like Travis Scott.
For Netflix-subscribed WWE fans, there aren’t any added charges to pay for the electric lineup. New viewers will have to subscribe to Netflix to view their contents. They, however, assured their fans of a smooth transition from WWE Network to Netflix and not wanting them to miss a moment of the action.
It is a deal which will see WWE’s global reach increase, with its content made available to Netflix’s massive subscriber base in more than 190 countries. Not all regional nuances remain, however.
International Markets: WWE programming will make Netflix an exclusive home in large international markets such as Europe, Canada, and Latin America. When launched in 2014, the WWE Network had been one of the first companies in sports entertainment to provide all fans with direct access to both live events and a huge archive of wrestling history. The closure that has now befallen it represents the broader shift of the industry toward global streaming platforms.
Such a move of the WWE to Netflix is increasingly a trend among content producers who seek to partner with the giants of streaming in order to ensure ease and unhindered access for their highly valued fans. The action commences in January with Netflix airing the first-ever live episode of Monday Night RAW on January 6. Fans will be treated to a star-studded lineup consisting of WWE legends, guest stars, and more that set the bar for WWE’s future on its new streaming home.
