It’s almost time! World Wrestling Entertainment is only 1 month away from moving its weekly series and Premium Live Events (PLEs) to Netflix in about 80% of the international market. Unfortunately, some countries and territories will be left outside looking in. Due to pre-existing contracts, there are some notable areas where WWE rights will remain with their current networks and partners for at least another year, if not more. So, we’ve put together a helpful guide to understand the tangled rights of WWE worldwide.

UPDATED January 9th, 2025: New information in red text.

We wanted to make it easier for you to try to decode this tricky rights situation by figuring out who has the current rights in big markets like Japan and India and when those rights were last renewed. With that data, estimating or uncovering the expiry of those WWE television / WWE Network rights is possible. We assume that as old rights expire, WWE will move to Netflix. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque implied this earlier in the year, and the initial press release said, “Additional countries and regions are to be added over time.”

WWE has also begun live streaming Raw and Smackdown on YouTube back in October for many countries, some of which are not getting any WWE content on Netflix in 2025 and others which are. The countries currently benefiting are:

Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bolivia, Brazil, Belarus, Belize, Serbia, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Romania, Guatemala, Georgia, Greenland, Croatia, Honduras, Portugal, Paraguay, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Ecuador, Solomon Islands, Spain, Montenegro, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Macedonia, Finland, Fiji, Falkland Islands, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Colombia, Chile, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan, Suriname, El Salvador, Slovakia, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Denmark, Uruguay, Lao PDR, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela, Iceland, Armenia, Albania, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Indonesia

While researching the pre-existing WWE Network deals, I noticed they often seem poised to expire just before Wrestlemania so that they can use that in their negotiations and launch in new locations with the biggest event of the wrestling year. We’ve spotlighted a few major markets waiting for WWE rights to transition to Netflix, as shown below in order of their expected deal expiry.

Markets With Pre-Existing Deals

India

In India, a 5-year renewal with SonyLiv was signed in March 2020. It can be assumed that WWE rights will expire at the end of March 2025 and move to Netflix at this time. If this pans out, Wrestlemania 41 will be the launching point.

Our theory was correct, WWE is expected to join Netflix in India around April 1st, 2025. Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV lose the rights at the end of March 2025.

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Italy

July 1, 2020 is the day Discovery+ and DMAX became home to WWE in Italy. It’s very likely that this deal was 5 years, so this summer could see WWE move to Netflix in Italy.

 

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United States

Earlier this year, WWE CEO Nick Khan confirmed that Wrestlemania 42 in 2026 would be part of the next rights deal. While he maintained that a renewal with Peacock was possible, it’s highly improbable. It’s highly likely that in early 2026, Netflix will begin a massive marketing campaign heralding the arrival of WWE’s PLEs as part of the Road to Wrestlemania.

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Sub-Saharan Africa

Since November 2022, WWE television and streaming rights have been with streaming service Showmax and cable channel Supersport. Showmax is more popular than Netflix in this region, so WWE might not be interested in a change. The length of the current deal remains unknown. 

While WWE was promised to ShowMax, the content never arrived. Instead, it remains accessible solely through the TV network Supersport. 

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The Philippines

The WWE Network deal with Disney+ came to an end recently. On November 21st, 2024, WWE sent out e-mails to WWE fans informing them that the WWE network would relaunch in The Philippines in time for November 30th’s Survivor Series: War Games PLE and suggesting it would last at least through 2025. Apparently, the WWE on Disney+ was a complete disaster. One fan explained the situation.

“Raw, Smackdown, NXT airs live each week here on a separate streaming service called Blast TV. It’s a sports streaming service, while yes, WWE Network just came back here (FINALLY!). Disney+ was our worst nightmare. Sponsorships are covered [Note: Disney+ PH digitally “covered up” sponsorships shown on WWE TV which was distracting to viewers] , and historical content were almost non-existent. PLEs only air live, and they don’t go on demand anymore. An absolute Godspend (sic) WWE Network made a timely return, was able to re-subscribe, and all the content is still here.”

It’s difficult to predict when the rights could move to Netflix.

We now know that Raw, Smackdown, and NXT air on Blast TV while the newly relaunched WWE Network will house the PLEs. It’s clear that WWE Network is just an in-between until the Blast TV deal ends at which point everything will shift to Netflix. A resident I spoke to in PH told me they believe the deal was a 5-year deal signed in 2021, which would line up WWE shifting to Philippines in spring 2026.

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Germany / Switzerland / Austria

A pre-existing deal, non-exclusive with Joyn streaming service and ProSieben MAXX channel  looks to last until spring 2027 or 2028. In Germany, BILD and BILD+ only started airing the shows in January 2024. 

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France

AB1  is the home to WWE’s Raw, Smackdown, and NXT series in France since 2018. WWE Network remains functional and is the only place to watch PLEs.

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Japan

Unfortunately for WWE fans in Japan, the ABEMA streaming service is in it for the long haul. WWE Network has been promised to Abema since October 1st, 2023. Since this multi-year deal is just over a year old, it could be 3-5 more years before WWE PLEs and series can move to Netflix in Japan.

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Cambodia

Fans of WWE in this Southeast Asian country get delayed viewing of Raw, Smackdown, and NXT via “Hang Meas HD.” The PLEs remain on WWE Network.

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South Korea

Since January 2, 2018, IB Sports has been home to WWE in South Korea. The worst case scenario here is that WWE won’t be free to move to Netflix until January 2028.

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Caribbean

WWE PLEs and weekly teelvision air on Rush Prime since 2021. There is currently no known expiration to this deal.

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New Markets Added Since January 1, 2025

MENA (Joined Netflix January 2025)

MBC’s Shahid platform has held WWE Network rights since Wrestlemania in April 2022. We would not be surprised if the deal were for 4 years, which would line up with the WWE Network rights in the USA expiring on Peacock in March 2026.

WWE fans in MENA were met with a wonderful surprise when WWE left Shahid and shifted to Netflix on January 6 2025!

 

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Currently, WWE has confirmed for Netflix in over 90 countries/territories via landing pages that are present and viewable through Netflix’s search page. In addition, 10 countries appear only to be getting access to WWE Raw. We will keep you posted on anything we learn about the status of Smackdown and NXT as we get more information.

Markets with Full WWE Network on Netflix:

1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Andorra
4. Argentina
5. Armenia
6. Australia
7. Azerbaijan
8. Bahrain
9. Belarus
10. Belize
11. Bolivia
12. Bosnia & Herzegovina
13. Brazil
14. Brunei
15. Bulgaria
16. Canada
17. Chile
18. Colombia
19. Costa Rica
20. Croatia
21. Cuba – Announcement
22. Cyprus
23. Czechia
24. Denmark
25. Djibouti
26. Ecuador
27. Egypt
28. Estonia
29. Finland
30. Georgia
31. Germany 
32. Greece
33. Greenland
34. Hungary
35. Iceland
36. Indonesia
37. Iraq
38. Ireland
39. Isle of Man
40. Israel
41. Jordan
42. Kazakhstan
43. Kuwait
44. Kyrgyzstan
45. Laos
46. Latvia
47. Libya
48. Lebanon
49. Lithuania
50. Macau
51. Malaysia
52. Mauritania
53. Mexico – Announcement
54. Moldova
55. Monaco
56. Mongolia
57. Montenegro
58. Morocco
59. Myanmar
60. The Netherlands
61. New Zealand
62. Nicaragua
63. North Macedonia
64. Norway
65. Oman
66. Panama
67. Papua New Guinea
68. Paraguay
69. Peru
70. Philippines
71. Poland
72. Portugal
73. Qatar
74. Romania
75. El Salvador 
76. Saudi Arabia
77. Serbia
78. Singapore
79. Slovakia
80. Slovenia
81. Somalia 
82. Spain
83. Suriname
84. Sweden
85. Taiwan
86. Thailand
87. Tunisia
88. Türkiye
89. Ukraine
90. United Arab Emirates
91. United Kingdom
92. Uruguay
93. Vanuatu
94. Uzbekistan
95. Venezuela
96. Yemen

Markets with WWE Raw only:

1. Antigua & Barbuda
2. Barbados 
3. Guatemala
4. Guyana
5. Honduras 
6. Puerto Rico  – Announcement – Apparently customers in Puerto Rico are under the USA deals, so Smackdown and NXT will not be present. 
7. United States of America

Markets Without WWE Network on Netflix:

Updated January 9, 2025 with many more existing licenses filled in

Market	Existing License
Afghanistan
Angola	Supersport
Austria	ProSieben MAXX
Bahamas	Rush Prime
Bangladesh	Sony Sports Network
Belgium	ABXplore
Benin	Supersport
Bhutan	Sony Sports Network until April 2025
Botswana	Supersport
Burkina Faso	Supersport
Burundi	Supersport
Cambodia	Hang Meas HD
Cameroon	Supersport
Cape Verde	Supersport
Central African Republic	Supersport
Chad	Supersport
Comoros
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	Supersport
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Supersport
Dominica Dominican Republic	Rush Prime
Equatorial Guinea	Supersport
Eritrea	Supersport
Eswatini	Supersport
Ethiopia	Supersport
Fiji
France	L’Équipe / ABXplore
Gabon	Supersport
Gambia	Supersport
Ghana	Supersport
Grenada	Rush Prime
Guinea	Supersport
Guinea-Bissau	Supersport
Haiti	Rush Prime
Hong Kong	SonyLIV
India	Sony Sports Network until April 2025
Iran
Italy	Disovery+
Jamaica	Rush Prime
Japan	Abema
Kenya	Supersport
Kiribati	Supersport
Lesotho	Supersport
Liberia	Supersport
Liechtenstein	ProSieben MAXX
Luxembourg
Madagascar	Supersport
Malawi	Supersport
Maldives
Mali	Supersport
Malta
Mauritius	Supersport
Mozambique	Supersport
Namibia	Supersport
Nauru
Nepal	Ten 1
Niger	Supersport
Nigeria	Supersport
Pakistan	Ten Sports
Palau	Supersport
Republic of the Congo	Supersport
Rwanda	Supersport
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Rush Prime
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Rush Prime
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Sierra Leone	Supersport
Solomon Islands
South Africa	Supersport
South Korea	IB Sports
Sri Lanka	Sony Sports Network
Switzerland	ProSieben MAXX
Tajikistan
Tanzania	Supersport
Togo	Supersport
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago	Rush Prime
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Uganda	Supersport
Vatican City
Vietnam
Zambia	Supersport
Zimbabwe	Supersport

 We will continue to update this article as more countries receive confirmation of WWE Network on Netflix or we learn of expiring deals across the globe. Hopefully soon, WWE will truly live up to the final word in its tagline: “Then, Now, Forever, Together.”