Sportsnet Losing WWE Programming to Netflix Deal

WWE is moving towards greater heights at the beginning of next year after its flagship show, Monday Night RAW, landed a staggering $5 billion deal with the OTT giant Netflix that will change the landscape forever.

The telecast of Monday Night RAW on Netflix will be available to selected countries such as USA, Canada, and other countries while some broadcasters would remain the same. However, this change has led to Sportsnet losing the rights to broadcast WWE programming in Canada.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rogers in Canada has secured the rights to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) programming, which will start in January. This acquisition is particularly significant because Rogers owns Sportsnet, which will be losing all of its WWE programming at the end of this year due to WWE’s new deal with Netflix. Sportsnet, which currently airs four WWE shows per week, will be looking to fill that gap.

Additionally, TSN airs AEW Dynamite weekly and airs Rampage and Collision only when they are taped in Canada. A potential shift to Sportsnet could allow AEW to have all of its shows broadcast weekly. Furthermore, Sportsnet’s robust promotion of WWE programming suggests that AEW could benefit from increased promotional efforts compared to what TSN currently provides.

“Rogers in Canada has acquired rights to WBD programming starting in January. A key to this is that Rogers owns Sportsnet which will be losing all of its WWE programming at the end of this year due to the Netflix deal. They were used to four wrestling shows per week. TSN only airs Dynamite weekly, and airs Rampage and Collision only if they are taped in Canada. A potential move to Sportsnet could also enable AEW to get all of its shows weekly, plus Sportsnet promotes the WWE shows far more than TSN promotes AEW.”

A lot of plans are in process as part of the upcoming WWE Netflix deal, one of which is a new reality show similar to the popular F1-focused docuseries “Drive to Survive.” However, with Sportsnet losing the WWE programming to the Netflix deal and possibly filling the gap with all AEW telecasts, we will have to wait and see how things unfold.

What are your thoughts on Sportsnet losing the WWE programming due to the Netflix deal? Sound off in the comments!