Netflix Exec Addresses Concerns Ahead of WWE Raw’s Streaming Debut

WWE’s highly anticipated move to Netflix is just weeks away, with WWE Raw set to premiere on the streaming platform on January 6. The debut episode, hosted at the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, is poised to be one of the most significant events in WWE history—if everything runs smoothly. However, concerns arose among fans after Netflix experienced buffering issues during the recent Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing event. With the Raw debut looming, many wonder whether similar issues might affect the wrestling giant’s move to the platform.

Addressing these concerns in an interview with Deadline, Netflix CCO Bala Bajaria reassured fans that the company has learned from the boxing event and is ready to deliver a seamless experience. “Whenever we do live events, we want it to go smoothly for every single one of our members. That’s really important,” Bajaria said. “To put it in perspective, [the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event] had 65 million concurrent streams. It was a very successful night with a huge scale, which is great. But you can’t fully prepare for these things until you do them. You take a big swing, and our teams moved quickly to stabilize the stream. Many members were back up and running pretty quickly.”

Bajaria emphasized Netflix’s commitment to improving its live streaming capabilities ahead of WWE’s debut, ensuring fans that lessons have been learned and applied. She added that the Netflix team is thrilled to welcome WWE onto its platform.

WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque also weighed in on the discussion, expressing confidence in Netflix’s ability to handle the event. “If 65 million people tune in on January 6, I won’t mind if the show blinks every once in a while,” Levesque joked, highlighting the excitement and scale of WWE’s partnership with Netflix.

As January 6 approaches, all eyes will be on Netflix to see if they can deliver a smooth and successful debut for WWE Raw, marking a new chapter for both WWE and live sports entertainment on streaming platforms.