WWE’s “Raw” debuts Monday night on Netflix, the first time in 30 years the show will not air on a linear channelGetty Images
“Monday Night Raw” is poised to make a global splash with its debut tonight on Netflix – a platform with more than 282 million subscribers worldwide – and WWE is ramping up its production power for the stage high.
“The global side is huge, we know we’re exposed to a much bigger market than we normally would be as a domestic product,” Brian Fadem, WWE vice president and executive producer, told the monitoring of production.
Fadem said: “We want to make this series a spectacle, to the level that we think it should be on a new platform like Netflix. The vibe I get during WrestleMania week is exactly what I’m feeling today and last week.
For the first time in 30 years, “Raw” will not be broadcast in linear mode, moving from the American network NBCUniversal to a 10-year agreement with Netflixvalued at over $5 billion.
The show will have a flexible runtime on Netflix, aiming for a three-hour debut tonight starting at 8 p.m. ET. In its linear past, the broadcast featured up to 15 commercial breaks, which will be reduced in the streaming era to add more content on a weekly basis, according to Fadem. International audiences will not get any commercial breaks.
“While you might go see ads if you’re in Texas, if you’re in Italy you’ll see us continuing the content,” Fadem said. “You’re going to see the rest of a match. You will see exclusive interviews with our talents. You may see an exclusive package that will only be viewed at this international level.
The team began thinking about tonight’s show in September, which Fadem said would take place “much earlier” than usual.
“There’s only one chance to make a good first impression,” Fadem said. “For us, it’s an opportunity to really make that first impression to a potential new audience, or maybe an audience that is less familiar with our product or hasn’t seen it in years (or) decades.”
Tonight’s show will take place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. After arriving Thursday and beginning preparations, the team had to leave Saturday night to host a Clipper game.
“The only thing that really bothered us was the fact that the NBA had a game here (Saturday) night,” Fadem said. “I have no doubt about the technology in the building and the number of cameras we have. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic at this point. The crew and everyone are on top of this show because of its enormity. Something is always going to go wrong because it’s live television, but we always have our backup plans and backups of those backup plans.
Fadem attended the Clippers game, which allowed him to see the site’s technology in action.
Rehearsals included examining audio and video technology, which included new tools like a point-to-point aerial camera system, a techno crane for more intimate in-ring shots, and drones inside and outside the ring. outside the room. The drones will use never-before-seen shots of WWE talent to integrate into “Raw” and a dedicated drone team will work exclusively behind the scenes to capture talent arrivals and backstage content.
“That’s something we’re really going to try to address (today),” Fadem said. “Making these drones be used in an intimate way and really captivate the viewer at home, trying to make them feel like everyone else here.”
Netflix broadcast a drone show Friday evening using 1,200 drones, including 200 equipped with pyro. The Goodyear Blimp will provide coverage of “Raw” from above the Dome.
“We’re just trying to improve our game a little bit,” Fadem said. “I think we did a really good job last year of introducing our product, making it different than it was in the past. While we don’t want to stray too far from that, we also want to make it feel like there’s a little bit more of a big scene on a weekly basis.
Brands in the game
The debut of “Raw” on Netflix will have the most brands ever on the ring mat for any WWE event.
Hulk Hogan’s real American beer signed a multi-year partnership which includes the ring mat corner branding, the first time this sponsored inventory item has been featured on the show.
Two long-time partners, Epic Games and Cricket, will take the stage for the first time, and Snickers returns as a presenting partner of “Raw.”