Raw is moving to Netflix in January 2025 (Picture: WWE)
The WWE landscape is set to change in a big way when Raw, SmackDown and more shows head to Netflix in a $5 billion deal.
Boss Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has teased some major differences viewers are likely to see when Monday Night Raw makes the jump to the streaming platform after 30 years on the air.
For the first time since 1993, the iconic programme will shift exclusively to streaming, and WWE’s chief content office has promised an exciting time for fans.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, he said: ‘Being on Fox, if the crowd chants “holy sh**t” or something worse, they take the audio [out]. Sometimes, they take the picture and the audio out and it’s a black screen.
‘The Rock comes in and you can’t tell what The Rock to do. He does what he does. We won’t have those issues with Netflix.’
As well as less censorship, there could also be major changes to the way fans get to actually watch the weekly shows, with even ad breaks being looked at in detail.
Triple H has promised big changes for WWE fans (Picture: WWE)
Triple H added ‘We spend large chunks of our time, every day, when we’re not thinking about the business at hand now, we’re thinking about those moments. In the fall, as the shows shift around, and then once we get to Netflix – Netflix is a completely different animal.
‘It’s a streaming service. How are commercials going to work? How are breaks going to work? What’s the length of time? What are the restrictions or not restrictions?’
The Game added: ‘The ability to be live globally and be seen live everywhere is a game-changing moment.’
The Rock has been censored in the past – but no more (Picture: WWE/Getty Images)
With WWE at the forefront of Netflix looking to move into regular live content, he pointed out that the whole world – ‘especially other sports’ – will be keeping a close eye on how the company operates with its new model.
In the US, Raw will be the first to make the move to Netflix in January 2025, with other shows from SmackDown and NXT to WrestleMania and SummerSlam following when their respective deals run out.
For most of the rest of the world, WWE’s entire catalogue will be shifting at the beginning of next year, meaning UK fans will get all the company’s shows in one place.
There are other changes too, with the company announcing a ‘first-of-its-kind partnership’ to bring Royal Rumble, WrestleMania and SummerSlam to Indianapolis.
The Rumble will break from tradition and head to Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, with the company’s other historic PLEs coming from the same venue ‘in future years’.
WWE Raw and SmackDown air Monday and Friday nights at 1am on TNT Sports 1. WWE’s premium live events stream live on the WWE Network.
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