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Understanding the Netflix-Sony Pictures-WWE tangle
MUMBAI: If this does come true, it would be good news for wrestling fans. There have been rumours in the market that it’s quite possible that the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) programmes might shift to Netflix in India come next year. Timelines are not clear but sports rights watchers are guesstimating that this could happen sometime beginning next fiscal, that is from April 2025.
Netflix had in January 2024 agreed to pay $500 million per year ($5 billion for 10 years with an option to renew for another 10 or to exit after five years) to TKO Holdings the parent of WWE, for the rights to air the show Raw in the US, the UK, Canada and Latin America with other territories being added in the future. In every other market, Netflix has the rights to air Raw and the other two weekly shows, SmackDown and NXT, plus all of its major showcases, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
This includes India. However, the India rights have been with Ten Sports which has been under the Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) umbrella for nearly 10 years and the two together have had the rights for around two decades. WWE shows have been the top rated programmes on Ten Sports channels and have been their staple programming ever since.
In the, US the current deal gets activated in 2025 and Netflix will air the first episode of Raw on n 6 January 2025. The Intuit Dome in California will be the location for the hosting of the debut episode. The rights vested with Comcast’s USA Network until October 2024, but the WWE gave it a short extension till the end of the year. It is one of USA Network’s top shows, drawing an audience of 17.5 million over the course of a year. Then, 82 per cent of Americans say they’ve heard of WWE. As of June 2024, WWE had 90 million fans in the US, according to market research firm SSRS/Luker. To top this all, Raw which made its debut in 1993 has a back catalogue of 1,600 plus episodes.
Ditto is its popularity in India, though the number of fans may be in a much higher zone. Estimates are that the WWE and its fighters have a large fanbase – the largest fan base outside of the US – in India it has ballooned to in excess of 100 million. As they say in India everything happens at scale, ditto with TV shows too. In fact, it is highly popular amongst young kids and the youth, Around five years ago, the WWE had estimated that its shows get about 335 million unique viewers annually in India with almost 40 per cent of them being women. This is what encourage SPNI’s acquisition team to acquire its rights from TKO Holdings from 2020 to 2025. It turned out to be a good decision as the WWE programming block is one of the top earning properties on Ten Sports and draws loyal audiences. And of course advertisers.
With the rights deal with SPNI coming to an end in India in 2025, and Netflix acquiring the programming rights for the world for the next 10 years, it’s quite logical to assume that SPNI may find it difficult to re-negotiate its renewal of rights with TKO Holdings for the Indian market. For Netflix is sure to use the WWE as a subscription driver and one major way it can do that is by keeping the matches exclusive on its streaming service and keep out SPNI from showing them on television.
“WWE is sports entertainment. So it’s as close to our core as you can get in terms of sports storytelling,” Netflix’s Ted Sarandos had said during one of the investors calls. “We are in the sports business, but we’re in the part that we bring the most value to, which is the drama of sport.”
In all probability, Netflix will also develop shoulder programming which could be documentaries or dramatised series around professional wrestling.
The coming months will tell us which way the cookie will tumble – Sony Pictures Networks or Netflix in India. Until then we can get back to our TV screens, if you are a WWE hardcore fan, and watch the coming matches on satellite and cable TV.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
