Big changes are on the horizon for WWE fans as Monday Night Raw heads to Netflix starting in January 2025! In a major move for live sports on streaming, WWEs new 10-year deal with Netflix will bring the iconic wrestling program to the platform exclusively, marking a historic shift in how fans can tune in. The deal also includes options for a 10-year extension or an early opt-out after five years. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO Group Holdings, gave fans a peek into what this means for WWEs future.
You can see that Netflix wants to be in the live sports business in live period, Emanuel explained in an interview with Bloombergs Emily Chang. He shared his confidence in the partnerships potential, adding, Theres a huge chunk of the audience that are WWE fans that are, not right now, based on our research, Netflix subscribers and if they capture a portion of those, its a huge win for them and a huge win for us.
But what about UFCs future? With their $1.5 billion media rights deal with ESPN set to expire in 2025, some fans speculated that UFC might join WWE on Netflix. Emanuel quickly shut down that theory. No, no, he clarified. Listen, ESPN has been an incredible partner We would love to be back with ESPN. They have been incredible to us. Bob Igers been incredible, Jimmys been incredible. So well start [discussions] then and move forward from there.
With UFC 309 coming up at Madison Square Garden on November 16, fans are already hyped to see Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic face off for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. As UFC considers renewing its media rights, Emanuels comments suggest that a continued partnership with ESPN could be the most likely path forward.
With WWEs Netflix debut just around the corner and UFC potentially staying with ESPN, TKO Group is positioning itself for big things in 2025.
What do you think about WWEs move to Netflix? Should UFC stay with ESPN, or would you like to see them explore streaming platforms too? Drop a comment below and lets hear your thoughts!
What do you think about WWEs move to Netflix? Should UFC stay with ESPN, or would you like to see them head to Netflix as well? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
