Ari Emanuel Addresses WWE’s Shift to Netflix and UFC’s Future with ESPN

Big changes are on the horizon for WWE fans as Monday Night Raw heads to Netflix starting in January 2025! In a major move for live sports on streaming, WWE’s new 10-year deal with Netflix will bring the iconic wrestling program to the platform exclusively, marking a historic shift in how fans can tune in. The deal also includes options for a 10-year extension or an early opt-out after five years. Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO Group Holdings, gave fans a peek into what this means for WWE’s future.

“You can see that Netflix wants to be in the live sports business — in live period,” Emanuel explained in an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang. He shared his confidence in the partnership’s potential, adding, “There’s a huge chunk of the audience that are WWE fans that are, not right now, based on our research, Netflix subscribers and if they capture a portion of those, it’s a huge win for them and a huge win for us.”

But what about UFC’s future? With their $1.5 billion media rights deal with ESPN set to expire in 2025, some fans speculated that UFC might join WWE on Netflix. Emanuel quickly shut down that theory. “No, no,” he clarified. “Listen, ESPN has been an incredible partner… We would love to be back with ESPN. They have been incredible to us. Bob Iger’s been incredible, Jimmy’s been incredible. So we’ll start [discussions] then and move forward from there.”

With UFC 309 coming up at Madison Square Garden on November 16, fans are already hyped to see Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic face off for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. As UFC considers renewing its media rights, Emanuel’s comments suggest that a continued partnership with ESPN could be the most likely path forward.

With WWE’s Netflix debut just around the corner and UFC potentially staying with ESPN, TKO Group is positioning itself for big things in 2025.

What do you think about WWE’s move to Netflix? Should UFC stay with ESPN, or would you like to see them explore streaming platforms too? Drop a comment below and let’s hear your thoughts!