WWE Raw To Air Commercial-Free For Many On Netflix

WWE Raw will remain a three-hour show. 

In a major announcement this week, it was revealed that WWE Raw will air on Netflix in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and other territories from January 2025. That won't be all for fans outside of the US either as SmackDown, NXT, and premium live events will be available on Netflix internationally from 2025, including in the United Kingdom where the current TV deal with TNT Sports is believed to be expiring at the end of 2024. 

Due to many of Netflix's subscribers paying for the ad-free tiers, some wondered if Raw might become a two-hour show once again but that won't be the case. According to Sports Business Journal, Raw on Netflix will continue to be a three-hour show. CNBC reported that matches will also continue to be scripted around commercial breaks and subscribers to the ad-free tiers will just continue to watch the action. Fans with an AEW Plus subscription on TrillerTV will already have experience with this. 

Netflix has experienced considerable success through sports documentaries in recent years, whether it be Drive To Survive, Sunderland 'Til I Die, or Wrestlers. One option for the streaming platform is Netflix could develop movies or series around WWE with the organisation's permission, a person close to the deal told CNBC.

The WWE-Netflix deal was $5 billion over 10 years but the streaming service can activate an opt-out after five years or extend the contract for an additional 10 years to 2045. The current plan is for Raw to remain on Monday nights but that could change by the time January 2025 rolls around.