Author: Jonathan Klotz | Published
It’s no surprise that the entertainment industry landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade as more and more people “cut the cord” and ditched pay cable TV. One of the few reasons to keep paying for the service is to watch live sports, a niche that streaming hasn’t been able to break into, but now, major sporting events are available on streaming platforms, including Paramount+, Amazon, and even Youtube. With the arrival of Netflix, weekly live events destroy cable TV’s last bastion WWE Raw On January 6, with more than 6 million people around the world watching in a seamless viewing experience, the death of cable television finally arrived.
“WWE” comes to Netflix
For nearly 30 years, professional wrestling has been one of the most-watched programs on cable television. WCW Monday Nitro arrive WWE RawDuring the infamous Monday Night Wars in the late 1990s, the shows collectively attracted more than 13 million viewers each week. That’s a tiny fraction of today’s Netflix subscriber base, but in cable TV, it made them some of the most successful shows of its era. No cable show now has ratings even close to those numbers, even WWE Raw Weekly ratings were around 22-3 million, but even that was enough to make it one of the top three most-watched cable shows on a weekly basis.
TKO, the new parent company of Netflix and WWE, reports that even on the streaming service, WWE Raw The viewership was larger than the USA Network had seen in years: 4.9 million viewers. Once that number came out and the switch to Netflix’s success captured investors’ attention, it became clear that cable TV no longer had anything to attract studios, viewers or even advertisers. Live events are the last thing holding up a dying industry, and with that gone, what will cable companies do because the obvious solution of cutting rates and charging less will never happen?
All live events are conducted via cable TV
Jake Paul’s showdown with Mike Tyson on Netflix in early 2024 was a disaster, giving cable companies hope that WWE’s move to streaming won’t pan out. Buffering issues made one of the worst boxing matches in history unbearable, yet when WWE Raw The pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremony was unmatched by other organizations, and there were no problems. I watched it from start to finish and never had any issues with my stream.
Unlikely WWE Raw Expect the same level of crowds in the coming weeks as the big debut is expected to bring in new fans, but we’re starting the road to WrestleMania, which historically is when the company gets hot . At the same time, the NFL playoffs are about to kick off, and multiple games will be broadcast online every week through Paramount+, Amazon Prime or YouTube TV. Breaking the shackles of traditional TV with multiple live events every week, Netflix managed to air an NFL game during Thanksgiving, proving it can do everything cable TV can, but currently it’s cheaper.
Why keep the cable?
There are few major shows that air exclusively on cable, and even the most successful shows either air on the streamer when they premiere or are released shortly after. Netflix has the ability to premiere movies and shows of any genre, including disappointing ones atlas Jennifer Lopez Starring Or Surprisingly Successful Rebel Ridgeand has more viewers in one day than cable TV hits like general The amount of money they make in their lifetime is simply unparalleled. even so, general It’s available on Hulu and adds live TV, so why bother subscribing to cable now that wrestling, the last fan base to hold on to cable, has made the leap if that’s an option?
The question more and more people are asking themselves, especially with AEW coming to Max, is if you have Netflix or even additional streaming services, what else does cable TV have to offer? You can enjoy countless replays ridiculousincluding episodes not available on Paramount+, and hours can be spent browsing channels looking for something to watch or watching one of the countless streaming services available.
