A new study on the impact of Netflix’s $5 billion WWE deal, indicates that it could boost usage of Netflix among WWE fans and that it would help WWE attract a younger fan base.
As WWE Raw gets ready to move exclusively to Netflix in 2025, YouGov examined streaming data to get a sense of what opportunities the deal presents for both brands.
The YouGov data shows that 50% of WWE fans say they use Netflix on a regular basis, about the same as the general audience (51%).
But more than one third (34%) of WWE fans regularly used NBCU’s streaming service Peacock, which currently owns WWE rights, a much higher proportion than the overall population, where about 20% regularly use Peacock. That disparity prompted the researchers to argue Netflix usage could rise for WWE fans on WWE Raw begins streaming on Netflix.
The survey also found that the deal could promise similar benefits from WWE. The survey found that 34% of WWE fans who are not Netflix users regard Netflix as good quality and 24% believe it offers a good value for money proposition, indicating that many WWE fans who currently aren’t using Netflix might subscribe once the WWE Raw shows moves to Netflix in 2025.
In addition, only 11% of regular Netflix users say they watched or followed the WWE in the past year, indicating that the deal would expose a large group of Netflix users to WWE content, the researchers noted.
More specifically, the study found that the deal could help WWE attract a younger fan base and that the WWE being featured on Netflix presents an opportunity for the company to get more customers, especially among younger Americans. Adults aged 18-29 make up 27% of Netflix users, compared to 18% in that age group who are WWE fans, the survey found.
The full report can be found here.
