Netflix seems more than satisfied with how things are going with WWE, and there’s already talk of expanding the relationship. Gabe Spitzer, Netflix’s VP of Sports, summed up the company’s stance in a recent Variety interview, saying: “It’s everything we could have hoped for and more. We knew going in that we’re not going to change WWE. It was more, how can we add to it in small ways, and that’s what we’ve seen so far.”
That optimism appears backed by strong numbers. WWE RAW has managed to land in Netflix’s global Top 10 most-watched shows every single week since the partnership kicked off, 28 weeks and counting. Meanwhile, WWE’s Premium Live Events have also been holding their own, regularly cracking Top 10 rankings in countries where they’re available on the platform.
The success has reportedly generated interest behind the scenes at Netflix about possibly securing more WWE content in the future. While U.S. rights to Premium Live Events are still tied to Peacock until 2026, Variety hinted that Netflix may throw its hat in the ring when that deal runs out.
WrestleMania 41 Isn’t The Most Watched WWE PLE On Netflix This Year
For the first time since WWE’s partnership with Netflix began in January 2025, fans and industry watchers finally have a look at how wrestling is performing on the world’s biggest streaming platform. Netflix published its half-year “What We Watched” report, which tracks nearly all viewership on the platform from January through June 2025. This unprecedented look reveals which WWE shows are attracting global audiences, and how they stack up against other major sports and entertainment content.
NOTE: Unlike SmackDown, NXT, and most PLEs – which are only available internationally – RAW airs worldwide on Netflix. This naturally gives RAW a bigger global reach and is reflected in its viewership dominance.
Below are the highlights:
– Monday Night RAW emerged as the dominant WWE property on Netflix. Its January 6 premiere episode, featuring matches like Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, became the most-watched WWE show on Netflix with 6.9 million global viewers and around 20 million hours viewed. Early episodes easily topped global charts and entered Netflix’s weekly “Tudum” Top 10 multiple times.
– Other episodes of RAW throughout January continued to see strong performance, with viewership gradually stabilizing but maintaining multi-million global viewers on a weekly basis.
– Royal Rumble 2025 was the standout WWE premium live event, bringing in 3 million global viewers and over 13.3 million hours watched internationally – higher than either night of WrestleMania 41.
– WrestleMania 41, WWE’s biggest event of 2025, had 2.4 million viewers for Night 1 and 2.8 million for Night 2. Night Two also racked up over 10 million hours viewed globally.
– Elimination Chamber 2025 followed as another strong PLE with 1.9 million viewers, while Money in the Bank and Night of Champions brought in 1.6 million and 1 million international viewers, respectively.
– SmackDown was less widely distributed on Netflix (not available to U.S. users) and peaked at 1.1 million international viewers. Only three SmackDown episodes reached the million mark.
– NXT had its highest-viewed event with the New Year’s Evil special, which drew 500,000 viewers. NXT Roadblock was second among NXT shows with 300,000 international viewers.
– Over the first six months of 2025, WWE on Netflix has generated more than 280 million view hours across all its events, easily making it one of the platform’s top sports properties and signaling an extremely strong start for this new streaming deal.
Also Read: Update On How Many Tickets WWE Has Sold For SummerSlam 2025 At MetLife Stadium So Far
