In a landmark deal worth $5 billion, WWE Raw will become exclusive starting January 2025 to the streaming service that has over 238.39 million paid memberships and is available worldwide. Not only is this a big topic in the wrestling industry, it also raises many questions and creates many possibilities.
In September, I commented that a way that independent promotions using streaming services could impact major promotions is by inspiring them to partner with streaming services in order to reach a wider audience and generate new revenue streams- WWE partnered with Abema in Japan the next month, which involves WWE making its live content available exclusively via a streaming service. My October post highlighted the potential shift towards streaming for WWE Raw. And now, WWE has made that major streaming move. WWE Raw moving to Netflix means a wider audience and new possibilities, which includes young viewers who heavily utilize streaming platforms and could become dedicated viewers & engaged fans.
WWE is a standard setter in the industry, and their increased focus on streaming means that it is the future for the industry globally. Members of the Japanese wrestling scene have already embraced streaming, as promotions such as Yanagase Pro Wrestling broadcasts shows on TwitCasting, a livestreaming service based in Japan that has over 33 million registered users worldwide, and other promotions in Japan are also increasing in popularity while utilizing streaming services to reach a wider audience. Meanwhile, the Singapore independent wrestling scene also uses streaming to introduce its top stars. Now that WWE Raw has moved to a streaming service, I expect that many more promotions will realize its power and utilize streaming services so that they reach a wider audience than ever before, reaching wrestling fans worldwide with live broadcasts of shows or creating exclusive content. Not just promotions in Asia, but promotions in the United States and other regions as well, reshaping how wrestling content is distributed and consumed internationally.
Along with new possibilities, WWE's streaming strategy raises new questions. How will traditional TV viewership be affected? Which promotions will be the next to follow suit, and which streaming platforms will they choose?
As the professional wrestling landscape undergoes a seismic shift, WWE's moving Raw to streaming is just the beginning, and it will be interesting to see what happens next.
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