Last week, it was officially revealed that "WWE SmackDown" will extend its weekly runtime to three hours at the start of 2025. At the same time, "WWE Raw" is set to make the move to Netflix, and there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding the scheduled length of that show. According to Dave Meltzer in today's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it's been confirmed to him by WWE sources that "Raw" will return to its three-hour format on Netflix.
In addition to hearing directly from backstage sources, Meltzer also learned that international TV networks who carry "Raw" have been told about the move back to three hours. However, as these are mostly sports stations, they will be used to flexing runtime, giving WWE some wiggle room on each episode's individual length.
Meltzer also discussed how "SmackDown" moving to three hours affects the company's bottom line. Right now, it's not clear if WWE is receiving an additional rights fee increase from the runtime extension. If the rights fees don't increase, Meltzer believes it would mean that WWE's recent deal with NBCUniversal is noticeably worse than the previous agreement with Fox, because it's both less money per hour and available in fewer homes.
There are some benefits to the scheduling change, as the added time will allow the promotion to feature more of its roster each week. Additionally, adding one hour to an existing production won't cost the company too much in terms of extra expenses. Still, Meltzer noted that ratings for "Raw" took a hit after the show moved to three hours.
Regardless of how things shake out long-term, the changes are set to begin imminently. "SmackDown" will make the move to three hours starting on Friday, January 3, 2025. Just a few days after that,"Raw" will make its Netflix debut on January 6.
