MultiChoice has announced that it will continue to offer Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events on its SuperSport platform, including Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble.
This is despite Netflix’s recent ten-year deal with WWE for exclusive rights to Raw and other properties in certain international markets for a reported sum of US$5 billion.
While Netflix will begin airing the shows in the US, Canada, Latin America, and other international markets in January 2025, MultiChoice has stated that its contract with WWE will remain unaffected. In fact, MultiChoice has expanded its partnership with WWE since 2017 and offers WWE Premier Live Events, a dedicated 24-hour WWE channel on DStv and GOtv, as well as archive content, documentaries, and bespoke WWE shows such as Jambo WWE.
Although MultiChoice’s current WWE rights in Africa will not be affected by Netflix’s entry into live events, the streaming giant’s expansion could pose a challenge to MultiChoice’s dominance in the premium video entertainment market.
MultiChoice’s SuperSport has been its trump card, and competition from major players like Netflix, Google (YouTube), Disney, and Amazon (Prime Video) could have significant repercussions for the broadcaster.
