In a monumental announcement, WWE has struck a deal with Netflix that will make the streaming service the exclusive home of WWE’s flagship show “Monday Night Raw” beginning in 2025. This marks the first time in “Monday Night Raw’s” 30+ year history that it will not air new episodes on cable TV.
According to the details provided, the deal is valued at $500 million per year for 10 years. Netflix has the option to opt out after the initial five years and to extend for an additional 10 years. This is a massive increase over WWE’s current TV rights deal with NBCUniversal for “Monday Night Raw,” which is reportedly worth around $250 million per year.
“Monday Night Raw” has been a staple of cable television since its debut in 1993. For over 30 years, fans have tuned into USA Network every Monday night to get their fix of WWE action and drama. Aside from a short run on Spike TV (then known as TNN) from 2000-2005, USA Network has been the true home of “Monday Night Raw” throughout the show’s storied history.
There is an entire generation of viewers who have grown up watching “Monday Night Raw” on cable TV week after week. So this move to not just streaming, but to Netflix exclusively, marks the end of an era. After three decades as appointment viewing on cable every Monday night, “Monday Night Raw” is now stepping into unfamiliar territory as a streaming-only program. It remains to be seen whether all of “Monday Night Raw’s” loyal fans from the cable TV era will follow the show to its new streaming home. Saying goodbye to USA Network will certainly not be easy after keeping fans entertained for 30 years. But the future of WWE lies with streaming platforms, and this new Netflix deal ushers in the next era for the flagship “Monday Night Raw” program.
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