Netflix, WWE bank on India’s love for drama to fuel growth

Netflix subscribers in India will be able to stream all of WWE’s weekly flagship shows — RAW, NXT, and SmackDown — as well as its Premium Live Events

Netflix and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) are banking on India's love for drama as the popular professional wrestling franchise debuts on the streaming platform on April 1.

The India launch comes three months after WWE debuted its programming on Netflix in the United States in January. Netflix secured global exclusive rights to WWE content in a $5 billion deal spanning 10 years in January 2024.

"WWE is the second most popular sport in India, behind cricket... There's multi-generational viewing. Families watch it together. Women and men watch it alone," WWE president Nick Khan said.

Around 30 percent of WWE's 110 million YouTube subscribers, or about 34 million, are from India. "Hence, we know that a great way to reach our fans, to drive them to watch the content on Netflix, is through these digital platforms," he said.

Khan said that for about a month leading up to the launch of WWE content on Netflix, they were consistently checking the top 10 shows in India. "You’ll notice a lot of dramas and stories with deep narratives. That's exactly what we believe WWE is," he said.

Also Read: Drama of sport: Why Netflix is spending $5 billion to buy WWE programming rights

WWE’s platform shift

For WWE, this partnership also marks a platform shift, as its programming will no longer be available on linear television. The previous rights holder, Sony Pictures Networks India, aired WWE programming on its sports channels, Sony Sports Network, and streamed it on Sony LIV.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix's vice president, nonfiction series & sports, indicated in a media briefing that the company intends to retain exclusivity over the programming and has no plans to sublicence it to local broadcasters.

"Our default is full exclusivity, so I don't anticipate us deviating from that, and that really comes down to the idea of simplicity and what's best for our members... The days of having to hunt for your favourite WWE product across a variety of channels can be cumbersome and frustrating," he said.

For Netflix, which is estimated to have over 15 million subscribers in India, the move is expected to help the streaming giant attract more consumers in an increasingly important market amid rising competition and demand for digital content in the world’s second-largest internet market.

It also marks the streaming giant's entry into live sports entertainment in the country. "We have high hopes in terms of performance... We expect a lot of value to come from the India fan base and in turn provide value to our members within India," Riegg said.

Netflix subscribers in India will be able to stream all of WWE’s weekly flagship shows — RAW, NXT, and SmackDown — as well as WWE’s Premium Live Events including SummerSlam, Money in the Bank, Royal Rumble and the upcoming WrestleMania.

They will be able to view these shows live or on demand on the platform. Netflix will also offer Hindi commentary as an option as part of its efforts to localise content. The company said it will also feature new and exclusive archival content from the WWE vault.

The launch comes as Netflix faces stiff competition from India's largest media conglomerate JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance Industries and Disney. JioStar recently merged JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar to launch the streaming platform JioHotstar.

Online retail giant Amazon also recently bolstered its streaming presence in the country by merging two ad-supported services — Amazon miniTV and MX Player —  into Amazon MX Player.

Apart from Amazon MX Player, Amazon also operates Prime Video, a subscription-based streaming service, which is bundled with its Prime offering. Other prominent players in the market include ZEE5, Sony LIV, and Apple TV+.

Live shows in India?

WWE is also looking at bringing live events back in India, possibly in 2026 or 2027. The company last held a live event in Hyderabad in 2023 after a six-year gap.

"India was at the top of Netflix’s priority list when we signed the deal... It has always been important to us... We are currently pencilling it out now in 2026 and 2027," Khan said.

Disclosure: Moneycontrol is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.