Following a bumper few months, Netflix adds to its dominance of the streaming sector with a move towards live programming. A new partnership with entertainment giant WWE will broadcast the sports franchise on the platform for the next decade.

Easily one of the most dynamic parts of the tech industry, streaming media, including platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and HBO Max, seems to have a gimmick for each new day of the week. 

Most of the recent press has revolved around monetization, specifically, how most low-level subscriptions intend to include advertisements, much to the chagrin of fans who saw the resemblance to cable TV in the plan. 

Still, whatever happens, it’s hard to deny that streaming TV remains a much-loved part of entertainment, not least because an endless carousel of content means that it has relevance to just about everybody.

“Tough Fight”

Netflix has been struggling in recent years, though. In July 2022, the Los Gatos, California, company shed 1m users, as the BBC predicted a “tough fight” to keep its position at the top of the streaming world. 

Fears about market saturation – everybody seems to have one streaming account or another – meant that new users increasingly came at a premium. Netflix would go on to lose $18bn in value over a single day during the same month.

Fast forward a bit and Netflix’s position has improved considerably. The platform opened the new year with an 8% stock surge and an extra 12m users. Worldwide, Netflix now has 260 million subscribers, putting to bed any fears about its rusting crown.

Following its well-publicized move to end account sharing, it would have perhaps been easier to predict the opposite scenario, especially when coupled with an unlikely decision to add video games to its library.

Limitless

Netflix has thrown a chunk of its new wealth into a $5bn deal with WWE, an agreement that will bring the organization’s weekly Raw episode to the platform in 2025. Netflix has previously expressed an internet in the “drama” of sport, to quote Reuters, but not the events themselves.

WWE won’t be Netflix’s first experimentation with live content – or with sport, for that matter. In 2023, the streaming giant hosted a live edition of Chris Rock’s stand-up routine, entitled Selective Outrage.

This new partnership with WWE could be a coup for Netflix, as live streaming has seemingly limitless potential in entertainment spaces. Whether it’s broadcasting concerts or live versions of gaming, live-streaming seems to be cropping up in every industry. 

A few gaming websites have ventured into the live-streaming realm with the introduction of a live version of poker lobbies. Poker strategies for playing online resemble tips for playing in-person poker, revealing that this live-streamed version has the capacity to emulate this in-person experience virtually. 

Similarly, live-streamed concerts are definitely on the rise. Their popularity may come from their accessibility, as people can watch their favorite artists from anywhere around the globe in the comfort of their homes. We can probably expect more of these live-streamed concerts in the future as the capabilities of live-streaming develop and evolve.

Vince McMahan

What might seem a little strange is that Netflix and WWE’s new friendship will actually bring the latter into competition with itself, as Vince McMahan’s wrestling show already streams its shows online, via its Network package.

The only question that seems to remain is – what will Netflix think of next?