Source: (Photo by Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
STANFORD, Conn. — If you and the family are WWE fans, you should know the company’s flagship television show is switching homes.
For the first time in over thirty years, WWE RAW will not air on cable but is now heading to streaming-giant Netflix in a deal worth five-billion-dollars.
WWE and Netflix announced the deal Tuesday, alongside WWE legend and Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who’s been named to the TKO Group board of directors.
TKO is the parent company of WWE and UFC, formed last year.
The deal is structured for ten years, but Netflix does retain the right to cancel the deal after 5 years or extend the deal another 10 years if they’re satisfied. For the past three decades, WWE RAW has aired on traditional cable, starting with USA Network before taking a brief trip over to the former Spike TV, then back to USA once again.
WWE SmackDown will move from FOX to the USA Network in October of this year. WWE NXT will also leave USA for the CW Network, each being a multi-million-dollar.
What’s unclear is how this multi-billion-dollar deal will affect what you pay for Netflix each month. The platform has made a habit out of raising prices while also locking down password sharing.
Source: Donnie Burgess / WWE Superstars John Cena & LA Knight
WWE recently set an all-time gate record for Indianapolis with its October pay-per-view “Fastlane” from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
WWE last held WrestleMania in the Circle City back in 1992 at the Hoosier Dome. The company says returning to Indy for their premier live event is always a possibility.
