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NETFLIX TO BECOME NEW HOME OF WWE RAW BEGINNING 2025

Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix

STAMFORD, Conn., January 23, 2024 – WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago

Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025

“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”

“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base."

With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.

The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.

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About WWE
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

About Netflix
Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.

About TKO
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise

Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.tkogrp.com.

Wrestling News

WWE

Cody Rhodes and Bayley win the Royal Rumble Matches to earn the right to headline WrestleMania

At the 2024 Royal Rumble, Cody Rhodes and Bayley both outlasted 29 other Superstars to win their respective Royal Rumble Matches and earn the right to challenge a World Champion at The Showcase of the Immortals. Plus, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against Randy Orton, AJ Styles and LA Knight in a Fatal 4-Way Match, and Kevin Owens accidently got himself disqualified in a United States Title Match against Logan Paul.

Wrestling News

Cody Rhodes Addresses Never Crossing Paths With CM Punk In AEW

Cody Rhodes is surprised he never crossed paths in any real way with CM Punk during their respective runs in AEW.

“The American Nightmare” spoke about this during the WWE Royal Rumble 2024 post-show press conference on Saturday night.

“It’s funny that we meet back here,” Cody said of himself and Punk. “Really. When we were at AEW, I thought we would encounter one another there. It didn’t happen. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen.”

He continued, “I think both him and I had different personal experiences. Don’t believe anything that Wade Keller put out about why I left or anything like that. The truth is, nobody knows. Personal thing. Probably a personal thing for Punk. That happens. People come. People go. It’s not a huge thing.”

Rhodes also spoke about reuniting with The Miz, Kofi Kingston and Punk and it feeling like his first run in WWE.

“To see [CM Punk] tonight. To see Miz. To see Kofi. Those were my guys,” he said. “First OVW show I walked into, Brent Albright vs. CM Punk was the main event and Punk was also running the whole show, maybe set up the ring. To see that, sometimes you want another person who you admire and respect to stop looking at you as the kid and look at you and see who you are now. I think he got to see who I am now. That means a lot to me. He’s amazing, could have gone either way, I look forward to what he does in WWE.”

Wrestling News and Streaming News

Netflix to become new home of WWE Raw beginning 2025

Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025

01/23/2024

Long-Term Deal Brings Weekly Live Sports Entertainment to Netflix

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.

About WWE

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at http://wwe.com and http://corporate.wwe.com.

About Netflix

Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with over 247 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.

About TKO

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company that comprises UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and WWE, an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. Together, our organizations reach more than 1 billion TV households in approximately 170 countries, and we organize more than 350 live events year-round, attracting over one million fans. TKO is majority owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR), a global sports and entertainment company.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, expected programming and viewer benefits under the multi-year domestic media rights partnership with and NBCUniversal. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in TKO’s final prospectus on Form 424(b)(3) filed with the SEC on September 19, 2023, as any such factors may be updated from time to time. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, neither TKO nor WWE undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investors and others should note that TKO announces material financial and operational information to its investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts, as well as its Investor Relations site at http://investor.tkogrp.com. TKO may also use its website as a distribution channel of material information about the Company. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about TKO, UFC and WWE when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on http://investor.tkogrp.com.

(Sources: Netflix, WWE/TKO Group and Business Wire)

Streaming News

Netflix to stream WWE’s Raw starting next year in its biggest jump into live entertainment - January 28, 2024

Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air the WWE’s flagship program Raw starting next year.

Netflix is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership.

The streaming platform is making its first major foray into live sports, while WWE will get access to Netflix’s roughly 250 million global subscribers.

Netflix and TKO Group Holdings said Tuesday that the streaming platform will air WWE’s flagship program “Raw” starting next year, in Netflix’s first major foray into live sports.

The 10-year deal is valued at more than $5 billion, according to a company filing. Netflix will have the option to exit the deal after five years and to extend it for another decade. The streaming platform will be able to stream “Raw” globally, and will start the agreement with exclusive rights to it in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America. Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S., including “SmackDown” and “NXT” as well as “WrestleMania,” “SummerSlam” and “Royal Rumble.”

TKO shares spiked more than 20% following the news and a separate announcement that actor and former wrestling superstar Dwayne Johnson would join its board of directors. Netflix shares rose less than 1%, hours before the company was set to report earnings after the bell Tuesday.

Netflix, which is trying to drive revenue by cutting down on subscription sharing and pushing viewers toward its ad-tier membership, has made few attempts at live programming in its history. Adding “Raw,” which currently airs on USA Network and produces three hours of live programming per week year-round, to its programming lineup will be a boon to the platform and a significant historical shift for Netflix.

“This is a super game changer,” said TKO President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. “When you look back at the chapters of sports media history, new chapters are driven by extraordinary new paradigms. ESPN and Turner bringing NFL to cable in 1987. Rupert Murdoch bringing football to Fox in 1994. When new histories are written, Raw on Netflix will be such a chapter starter.”

Netflix has dabbled in sports recently with documentary-type series about Formula One and professional golf, tennis and football. This deal will allow Netflix to tap into WWE intellectual property for similar projects. With WWE permission, Netflix could even develop movies or series around WWE characters, a person familiar with the matter said.

For TKO, the parent company of WWE, striking a deal with Netflix brings WWE wrestling to about 250 million global subscribers. WWE President Nick Khan has had Netflix on his radar as a potential landing spot for “Raw” for several years.

He discussed the world’s largest streamer on a WWE earnings call in the first quarter of 2022, referencing how Netflix has showed openness to changing long-held stances, such as rejecting advertising and cracking down on password sharing. As recently as December 2022, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the UBS Global TMT Conference that Netflix had not “seen a profit path to renting big sports.”

“Netflix is willing to make adjustments and reverse positions when it identifies an issue,” Khan said back in 2022.

Choosing Netflix

TKO held discussions with other media companies but zeroed in on Netflix in December, according to people familiar with the matter.

Netflix’s global footprint, which outreaches every other streaming service, was a key draw for WWE, Shapiro said.

“This is one of the greatest entertainment platforms in the world,” Shapiro said of Netflix. “It has marketing you can’t even comprehend. It has positioning that’s unparalleled in terms of what they do on their front page.”

Netflix announced earlier this month it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier, which the company launched in November 2022. Matches will be scripted around commercial breaks to satisfy ad-free customers, who will see continued action from live matches that aren’t important to the outcome, such as a wrestler in a sustained headlock, according to a person familiar with the matter.

“Raw” is the top program on the USA cable network, drawing 17.5 million unique viewers per year, the companies said. Shapiro said Amazon’s ability to stream “Thursday Night Football” this season without a glitch and Peacock’s recent success streaming a National Football League playoff game gave him confidence Netflix will be technologically sound streaming “Raw,” even if it hasn’t done anything like this on a consistent basis yet.

Disclosure: Comcast NBCUniversal, CNBC’s parent company, owns USA Network.

Clarification: This story was updated to reflect that Netflix said it had 23 million monthly active users for its advertising tier.

TKO APPOINTS DWAYNE JOHNSON TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Johnson Granted Full Ownership of Trademarked Name, “The Rock”

NEW YORK (January 23, 2024) – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) (“TKO”), a premium sports and entertainment company, has appointed Dwayne Johnson to its Board of Directors, effective today.

Johnson, one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in company history and the most followed American man globally on social media platforms, brings decades of experience in live entertainment and sports to the Board. Through his expansive business portfolio, which includes Seven Bucks Productions, Teremana Tequila, ZOA Energy, Project Rock, and the recently combined spring football league, the United Football League (UFL), Johnson has significant experience identifying and cultivating revenue generating media rights, live events, sponsorship, licensing, and social media opportunities. The appointment of Johnson reflects TKO’s commitment to delivering long-term value and strong performance for shareholders through strategic growth initiatives across both UFC and WWE.

Vince McMahon, Executive Chairman of the Board, TKO, said: “Very few people on the planet understand the convergence of sports, entertainment, media, and business like Rock. We are proud to have him join the TKO board to help take our company to new heights.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, said: “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors, and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented, but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle. At my core, I’m a builder who builds for and serves the people, and Ari is building something truly game changing. I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”

Ariel Emanuel, CEO, TKO, said: “I am thrilled to partner with Dwayne and welcome his immense talent to TKO’s Board. Dwayne brings an incredible track record of creating content and building globally recognized consumer brands, and he will play a key role in realizing our ambitions for TKO.”

WWE has also entered into a services and merchandising agreement with Johnson that provides for his promotional, licensing, and other services, and an intellectual property assignment agreement pursuant to which Johnson has secured ownership of the trademarked name, “The Rock”. The name is derived from his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, who was the first Black champion in WWE history (alongside partner Tony Atlas). Johnson’s grandfather, Peter Maivia, a Samoan-American professional wrestler, was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008.

The addition of Johnson, as well as today’s appointment of Brad Keywell to TKO’s Board of Directors, will increase TKO’s board from 11 to 13 members.

Dwayne Johnson Background

Dwayne Johnson is a global entertainer and entrepreneur who manages a diverse and ever-expanding media and business portfolio. Johnson serves as the co-founder and CEO of Seven Bucks Companies, a multi-platform global enterprise crossing all entertainment and creative verticals with an audience-first mentality. A third-generation performer, Johnson began his WWE career in 1996 and remains one of WWE’s preeminent WWE Superstars in the organization’s history.

Johnson develops, produces, and stars in all forms of entertainment content via his production company, Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, which he co-founded in 2012. In addition to Seven Bucks Productions, LLC, Johnson has founded multiple business ventures, including Teramana Tequila, the fastest-growing tequila brand in history, and co-founded ZOA Energy, LLC, an energy drink company in partnership with Molson Coors. In 2020, Johnson co-led a consortium to acquire the XFL, a professional American football league, which re-launched in 2023 before merging with the USFL to form the UFL. Johnson also maintains several prominent brand partnerships. Alongside Under Armour, Inc., Johnson founded and developed a line of fitness apparel under the “Project Rock” brand. In 2016 and 2019, Johnson was named by TIME as one of the world’s most influential people.

A dedicated philanthropist, Johnson serves as a National Celebrity Wish Ambassador for Make-A-Wish and has been granting wishes with the organization for over 20 years. In 2008, the United States Congress and the United States Joint Leadership Commission recognized Johnson with the prestigious Horizon Award, the U.S. Congressional Award given to an individual in the private sector who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and provided opportunities for youth nationwide. Johnson graduated from the University of Miami, where he earned a football scholarship and became NCAA National Football Champions.

Johnson has been a client of Endeavor’s WME agency for nearly 13 years.

About TKO

Movie Gaming

Can movie theatres and online streaming live side by side?

It’s been a tough time for movie theatres around the world with a number of factors contributing to the decline in the number of people heading to the cinema to watch movies. In a world that is embracing digital technologies, the movie industry is in danger of getting left behind unless they quickly embrace the technologies available that will get people excited to return to movie theatres and get the enjoyment of the cinema experience once again.

The rise of the video game industry

Whilst there are plenty of factors that are influencing people’s decision to visit the cinema, there is no doubt that the rapid rise of the online video game industry is a large contributing factor. People are starting to look elsewhere for their entertainment and online video gaming provides a lower-cost alternative to a trip to the cinema.

A report by MarketWatch in 2020 found that the video game industry is now bigger than the sports and movie industry combined. Just take a minute to digest that. Bigger than movies and sports - that’s big.

The news outlet reported that global video game revenue is expected to increase 20% in 2020, making $179.7 billion, according to data from IDC.

The biggest gain is expected to come from mobile gaming, according to the news outlet, which is expected to surge 24% to $87.7 billion. Part of this is due to China recently lifting a ban on gaming consoles.

Game console revenue is expected to soar to $52.5 billion this year, while PC and Mac games are expected to make $39.5 billion.

In their most recent report, MarketWatch reported that whilst overall revenue was expected to grow by 11% in 2021 to $251.39 billion, the forecast for 2022 is just a 2% growth and a flattening out of that rapid growth over the past two years.

Is this a potential opportunity for cinemas to reclaim some of that lost audience share?

Early signs look good for cinemas in 2022

If the latest movie releases in 2022 are anything to go by, it looks as though the movie theatre industry is not ready to give up just yet. Spider-Man: No Way Home became the biggest grossing movie of the past two years, grossing over $US1 billion ($1.38b) in the first two weekends. It is the second-fastest film ever to reach the $1 billion mark and suggests that this could be a big year for cinema-goers.

Following in its footsteps is another 2022 release, The Matrix Resurrections, a movie that grossed $US12 million in its opening weekend.

Whilst this is a great start to the New Year for movie theatres around the world, it remains to be seen whether this is a trend that continues throughout the year. With a number of high profile movies due for release in 2022, this could be a time for cinemas to really cash in.

The impact of streaming and long-form content

It is unlikely that cinemas will have it all their own way in 2022. Whilst it is great to see people returning to movie theatres to watch the latest releases on the big screen, there is no question that home viewing is here to stay.

As more studios and media distributors are developing their own direct-to-consumer streaming services, this starts to eat into the revenue of major studios.

Studios derive almost half of their revenues from theatrical releases. Although the average number of movie tickets purchased by Americans each year has declined from 4.2 in 2009 to 3.4 in 2019 (Source: Deloitte), studio revenues are driven more by box office tickets now than they were 20 years ago.

Streaming is having the biggest impact on people going to the movies. As televisions have improved, where you can now watch movies at home in 4K high-definition on screens with sizes up to 100”, with surround sound, people have become more willing to wait for the latest release movies to become available on streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Stan.

Another major impact on the cinema industry is the consumer switch to long-form content in the form of series. Many people feel there is more depth to a series that contains anywhere from six episodes upwards. Game of Thrones was one of the groundbreaking series to really capture the audience’s attention, however, there are so many amazing series now that it is becoming more difficult for movies to compete with the depth and the character development that a series can bring.

Huge series like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and more recently, Succession, have really captured the attention of audiences around the world and this is something movie producers need to consider.

The entertainment factor

It’s not just video games and streaming that are competing for people’s attention. Another industry embracing technology is the online casino and betting sector. Here, we have seen huge advancements in the way people are able to game online. One company leading the way in the sector is Betway, “Developed by our exceptionally talented people, Betway creates market-leading, cutting-edge interactive gaming experiences. We bring people closer to the action – putting them at the centre, making them feel a part of it.”

From the introduction of in-game betting to the development of new and exciting interactive games, these online gaming sites are leading the way when it comes to embracing new technologies that can lead to better experiences for customers.

The movie industry is at a real crossroads. With competition coming from every direction within the entertainment industry, studios and distributors need to find a way to either a) get more people back into movie theatres or b) look at alternative ways to ensure that movies can compete with online gaming, live sports streaming and online casinos for a share of customer eyeballs.