DIY VIRAL
The author Jonathan Klotz
| Published
It's no surprise that the entertainment landscape has changed significantly over the past decade as more and more people have “cut the cord” and ditched paying for cable. One of the few reasons to continue paying for services was access to live sports, one segment that streaming couldn't conquer, but major sports are now available on streaming platforms including Paramount+, Amazon and even YouTube. Netflix demolished the last bastion of cable, weekly live events, with the arrival of WWE Raw On January 6, and with a seamless viewing experience watched by over 6 million people worldwide, the death of cable has finally come.
WWE came to Netflix
For nearly 30 years, pro wrestling has been one of the highest-rated programs on the cable network since WCW Monday Nitro to WWE RawIn the late 1990s, during the infamous Monday Night War era, the broadcasts combined to draw more than 13 million viewers each week. It is a small part of Netflix subscriber base today, but in the cable world that made them the most successful shows of the era. Now, no cable show comes close to those numbers, with even WWE Raw Managing around 2.2-3 million on a good week, but even that was still good enough to be one of the top three rated shows on cable each week.
Netflix and TKO, the new parent company of WWE, have reported that even on the site streaming service, WWE Raw drew better numbers than the USA network has had in years: 4.9 million viewers. When that number was announced and the success of the move to Netflix reached investors, it became clear that cable no longer had anything to entice studios, viewers or even advertisers. Live events were the last thing to support a dying industry, and if it's gone, what will the cable companies do, since rate cuts and lower fees, the obvious solution, will never happen?
All cable channels had live events
The Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight on Netflix in 2024 was a disaster, giving cable companies hope that WWE's move to streaming wouldn't work. Buffering issues made one of the worst boxing games in history unbearable, but when WWE Raw started with pomp and circumstance unmatched by any other organization, there were no problems. I watched from start to finish and never had a problem with my stream.
It is unlikely WWE Raw will draw the same level of viewership in the coming weeks as the big debut was expected to bring in new fans, but we're heading into WrestleMania, which is historically when the company gets hot. At the same time, the NFL playoffs begin, and multiple games will be available to stream each week on Paramount+, Amazon Prime, or YouTube TV. That's a number of live events each week that have escaped traditional television, and on Thanksgiving, Netflix successfully aired an NFL game, proving that it can do everything cable does, but for the time being, it's cheaper.
Why even keep the cable?
Major shows that are exclusive to cable are few and far between, and even the most successful shows are available on the streamer when they debut or soon after. Netflix was able to show movies and shows of any genre, including disappointment Atlas starring Jennifer Lopez or a surprise hit Rebel Ridgeand get more viewers in one day than cable entries like Shogun earning in his lifetime is simply unmatched. even then Shogun was available Hulu with the addition of live TV, so if it's an option and now wrestling, the last fandom stuck to cable, has made the leap, why subscribe to cable at all?
It's a question that more and more people will be asking themselves, especially with AEW Maxif you have Netflix and even one additional streaming service that cable offers? You can enjoy countless replays Ridiculousnessincluding episodes not available on Paramount+, and you can spend hours channel surfing to find something to watch or watch one of the countless streaming services available.
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DIY VIRAL
