Tuesday, the same day TKO Group Holdings appointed Dwayne Johnson to its board, WWE announced a “long-term partnership” with the streamer that will make it the exclusive home of Raw starting in January 2025. The exclusivity will affect the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Latin America. Additional regions are set to be confirmed.
“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” Nick Khan, WWE's president, said in a statement. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base.”
The deal not only brings Raw to Netflix but also sees the platform being made the home of “all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available,” not to mention Premium Live Events and documentaries.
For now, Raw remains on USA Network. When it jumps to Netflix at the top of 2025, the move will mark the first time the show has ever opted for a streaming rollout instead of the traditional TV approach. In short, it’s a huge fucking deal.
Also a huge fucking deal is that Dwayne Johnson has secured full ownership of his long-used "The Rock" name, all part of a deal that also sees him joining the TKO (owners of WWE and UFC) board alongside Brad Keywell.
Later on Tuesday, TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and Johnson appeared on CNBC, where they further detailed the importance of the 10-year, multibillion-dollar Netflix deal.
"I think live is important for them," Emanuel said when asked whether this deal means Netflix is looking to move further into the live space, adding that this partnership will "strengthen" the brands of all involved at a "global" scale.
Per Johnson, there's "no CEO in the world" like Emanuel, whom he's known for over two decades.
"These game-changing deals that he's making is a reflection, I think, of who he is," Johnson said.
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