Netflix executive Brandon Riegg has recalled the negotiation process between the streaming platform and WWE to secure a historic media rights deal.
Fans were very aware that by the end of 2024 the current media rights deal between WWE and the USA Network to broadcast Monday Night Raw was going to expire. Speculation as to which company would secure the rights for the flagship show sent the rumour mill into overdrive with the likes of FOX or Warner Bros Discovery being discussed online and some speculating that WWE would be responsible for AEW losing their deal with WBD.
In January 2024, WWE made the announcement that no one saw coming as they had secured the deal with Netflix to exclusively broadcast Raw worldwide along with international fans getting SmackDown, NXT and Premium Live Events all for the price of their subscription.
In an interview with The Athletic about the new partnership, Vice President, Unscripted and Documentary Series Riegg stated that compared to other partnerships the deal was struck very quickly:
“By industry standards, it was quite quick.”
WWE President Nick Khan Sought Out Netflix Years Prior
Providing further comment on the deal, Riegg added that WWE President Nick Khan likely wanted the Netflix partnership years ago and gave more insight into how the deal came together:
“On their side, they knew that this window of opportunity was coming up to take Raw to the marketplace. I think WWE president Nick Khan had really identified Netflix as probably his preferred partner years prior. I told Nick, ‘It’s tough when you’re so fragmented as an entertainment programme.’ But I think he took that on board and started positioning those deals around the world in as many countries as possible so that they would come up for renewal within a fairly short proximity.”
Riegg also noted that the deal was struck “within a couple of weeks” and highlighted the scale of the deal:
“The Netflix and WWE teams came together in December and within a couple of weeks, the broad outline of an agreement was struck. It’s quite incredible, given the magnitude of the deal and the size of the jump for WWE, taking their flagship show and moving it to a streaming platform. Similar for us, this is our first foray into this big sports entertainment space.”
“I would hope that when they come up, they would want to come to us,”