Netflix is destroying the last good thing about cable
From Jonathan Klotz
| Published
It’s no surprise that the entertainment landscape has changed significantly over the last decade as more and more people have “cut the cord” and forgo cable. One of the few reasons to continue paying for services was access to live sports, the one segment that streaming failed to conquer, but now major sports are available on streaming platforms including Paramount+, Amazon and even YouTube. With the launch of , Netflix has destroyed the last bastion of weekly live events on cable television WWE Raw on January 6th and with a seamless viewing experience watched by over 6 million people worldwide, the death of cable is finally here.
WWE has arrived on Netflix
For nearly 30 years, pro wrestling has been one of the highest-rated programs on cable television WCW Monday Nitro To WWE RawDuring the infamous Monday Night War era of the late ’90s, the shows collectively attracted over 13 million viewers each week. That’s a small fraction of it Netflix Although they had few subscribers these days, they were the most successful shows of their time on cable television. Now no cable show even comes close to those numbers with even ratings WWE Raw On a good week it managed around 2.2 to 3 million, but even that was still good enough to make it one of the top three highest-rated cable shows each week.
Netflix and TKO, WWE’s new parent company, even reported this on Streaming Service, WWE Raw reached more viewers on USA Network than it has in years: 4.9 million viewers. As that number was announced and the success of the move to Netflix reached investors, it became clear that cable no longer had anything to offer to attract studios, viewers, or even advertisers. Live events were the last thing propping up the dying industry, and what will the cable companies do when that’s gone since rate cuts and lower fees – the obvious solution – will never happen?
Live events were broadcast exclusively via cable
The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on Netflix in early 2024 was a disaster, giving cable companies hope that WWE’s transition to streaming wouldn’t work out. Buffer problems made one of the worst boxing matches in history unbearable, but when WWE Raw It started with a level of pomp and circumstance that no other organization can match, and there were no problems. I watched the stream from start to finish and never had a single problem.
That’s unlikely WWE Raw will draw the same viewership over the next few weeks as the big debut should bring in new fans, but we’re starting the road to WrestleMania, which is historically when the company gets hot. At the same time, the NFL playoffs begin and each week several games will be available to stream, either Paramount+, Amazon Prime or YouTube TV. That means there are several live events every week that have taken over from traditional television, and over Thanksgiving, Netflix successfully aired an NFL game, proving that it can do everything cable TV can do, but for the moment it’s cheaper .
Why keep cables at all?
There are few major shows that are only available on cable television, and even the most successful shows are either available on a streamer when they debut or appear on a streamer shortly thereafter. Netflix’s ability to premiere films and shows of all genres, even disappointing ones Atlas with Jennifer Lopez in the lead role or the surprise success of Rebel Ridgeand have more viewers in one day than cable hits Shogun The amount of money they earn over their lifetime is simply unmatched. Even then, Shogun was available on Hulu with the live TV addition. So if that’s an option and wrestling, the last fan base stuck on cable, has made the jump, why should you subscribe to cable at all?
This is a question that more and more people will be asking themselves, especially with AEW on the rise MaxIf you have Netflix and even an additional streaming service, what does cable offer? You can enjoy countless replays of it Ridiculousnessincluding episodes not available on Paramount+, and can spend hours surfing through channels to find something to watch or checking out one of the countless streaming services available.
