WWE will be in the news all week long. On Monday, the company boasted its covers for the upcoming WWE 2K24 video game and launched a trailer for the new Love & WWE reality television series on Hulu. Then, on Tuesday, the company made a massive move in the media rights landscape and television industry. WWE will have its flagship television show, Raw, on the Netflix streaming service starting in January 2025.
The move will cause a radical shift in viewing habits and behaviors for a fanbase that has been settled in on Monday nights for over 30 years. While Smackdown has moved its home around several times in its history, Raw has only been on two networks: the USA Network and TNN/SpikeTV (now Paramount Network). While that’s another story for another day in America, this move also has a worldwide impact.
If you haven’t noticed, WWE is trying to go global. They’ve mostly been a North American company throughout much of the company’s long and storied history. They will have their yearly travels through Europe, and in pre-pandemic days, they would travel to South America, Japan, and Australia almost annually. WWE has a massive international fanbase. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that while you live in America, you watch the American pro wrestling company.
WWE’s international fans might be among their most loyal. They have to deal with the harsh reality of time zones every time Raw and Smackdown (and NXT) all come on. Oftentimes, that means they have to stay up in the twilight hours. Sometimes, they might not even have access to it and workarounds can be deemed necessary.
A move to Netflix certainly increases WWE’s accessibility around the world. Recently, the company revealed that they have over 260 million worldwide subscribers.
International fans also might not have to deal with that late-night headache anymore. Balls.ie, an Irish publication, wrote a story on WWE’s move to Netflix. An interesting detail was included in the story about ‘Raw’ and ‘Smackdown’ and its potential on-demand availability:
Fans currently paying separate monthly subscriptions to the WWE Network and TNT Sports to catch all of WWE’s regular broadcasts, will instead be able to access the same content via their Netflix subscription starting from next year. Netflix will also provide an on-demand option for Raw and Smackdown that is not currently available for NOW customers who access TNT via the ‘Sports Extra’ package.
In the U.S., there’s a 28-day wait between the day the show, Raw or Smackdown, airs and when it’ll appear on the Peacock streaming service. This also existed for the WWE Network, which was folded into Peacock in 2021.
If WWE is adding an on-demand function for international subscribers, that signals two things. 1, international fans are helped greatly and now will have the option to either trudge on or watch when it’s most convenient. And 2, if that comes to the U.S., that also will be a game-changer for many WWE fans.
DVRs and on-demand functions have been lifesavers for many who have them. But if you’re exclusively streaming and you happen to miss a show, you’ll have to wait a long time.
But it sounds like that corner could be turning. And it also sounds like WWE’s international fans will get a much-needed dose of relief. Fans in France and Germany will get premium live events for the very first time this spring and summer. They don’t appear done with their world tour either, so other markets may rejoice soon too. When it comes to television, though, it definitely appears that international fans are big winners.
[Balls.ie]
