On Tuesday morning, major headlines were inevitable.
Lowe is set to sign a 10-year, $5 billion deal with Netflix starting in 2025, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appointed to TKO’s board of directors and full ownership of “The Rock” name. rights and signed new services and licenses. Signed with WWE.
These are rough moves that officially feel like the beginning of the Nick Carn era in WWE, with so many premium live events now taking place outside of the United States that they're both bold and international. With Nick Carn as CEO, it will be very lucrative.
But what else does it mean?
First, fans who don't have Netflix will have to pay an additional $77 to $185 a year to watch it, depending on whether they care about ads, so Raw is technically a weekly PLE. It means that.
With Smackdown returning to USA Network and NXT jumping to The CW, fans will now have to pay to three separate entities to watch WWE programming, even if they've already cut the cord. .
Pro wrestling viewers are highly engaged, with many fans likely already subscribing to Netflix, and it is speculated that the majority of fans who haven't already subscribed are likely to add it. But whether or not to pay more to watch WWE will be a test for some.
Also, in Raw-Netflix's press release, which confused some people, it states that Netflix will be the home for all WWE programming outside of the United States, including NXT, SmackDown, and PLE.
PLE for US residents will remain on Peacock until at least 2026. However, this is reportedly a deal worth about $1 billion. Khan said the amount in May last year was below market value. Only two years have passed since the agreement was signed.
That should at least open the door to a bidding war between Netflix and NBCUniversal. NBCUniversal is still in the game by owning the rights to SmackDown once the deal is finalized. Amazon and Apple have already moved into live sports, so of course other companies will get in on the action, but Netflix and NBCU find it more compelling that their weekly show is a promotion for PLE. It should be. As his UFC pay-per-view airs on ESPN+, ESPN+ could also be a potential qualifier for his PLE. WWE and UFC are both under the TKO umbrella.
You can also expect plenty of WWE-themed shows and documentaries on Netflix. This is another advantage of having one of his shows on Netflix on cable.
The Rock joining the board feels important on several levels.
For one, it means that for the first time, a former wrestler who is not married to the McMahon family will have a seat at the big table. (Technically, he's Roman Reigns' boss now?)
It also means we'll almost certainly see him struggle this year and perhaps beyond, as he signs new service and product deals and has bigger stakes in his company's success. means. Why doesn't he want to contribute more to the bottom line and business growth in the best possible way?
He also teased Tuesday's matchup with Reigns on ESPN's “First Take,” saying there is “a chance” the two will meet at WrestleMania.
His presence also got me thinking about the UFL, the combined spring football league between the XFL and USFL, in which Lock and ex-wife Danny Garcia own the largest rights. Who could have imagined that TKO would one day buy the league if they felt the media rights would be beneficial to them if it proved successful?
Finally, the Netflix news is great for AEW and means this promotion will continue to be successful for a long time. This puts an end to speculation that Lowe would move to Warner Bros. It turns out that the company did not acquire NBA rights again, increasing the possibility that AEW will reach a lucrative TV rights deal with its current partner.
You might also think that the addition of AEW programming to Max's new sports streaming division would be an even bigger story. “Rampage” and “Battle of the Belt” may have more long-term value to hardcore AEW fans than airing on cable TV.
Tuesday marked a monumental day for sports television rights, WWE and professional wrestling to move their weekly programming to arenas like never before.
Its effectiveness and future ramifications will be interesting.
