In a surprise move, Netflix aired both nights of WWE WrestleMania 40 live for subscribers in New Zealand.
First noted by Lightshed Partners’ Brandon Ross based on X activity, it came as a surprise to a local there:
@WrestlingDazeYT WrestleMania 40 is being streamed live on Netflix in New Zealand. I didn’t think the wwe Netflix deal started until 2025. pic.twitter.com/M9MkHu2bpM
— Aaron (@R0MANR0YCE) April 7, 2024
Ross noted that the country of 5.1 million is a market “known as a test bed for tech companies.”
The rationale: they are English-speaking, tech-savvy early adopters, affluent and isolated enough where if something doesn’t work, there is little blowback in terms of bad P.R. Major companies like Google, Facebook, Domino’s, Microsoft and others have tested out products and technology there through the years.
As of Wednesday, one independent Netflix popularity tracker showed the event as the fifth most popular TV show on the service there after reaching the top spot earlier this week.
WWE and Netflix announced a five-year, $10 billion deal in January 2024 that will bring Raw to the streaming giant for U.S. viewers and all of WWE’s content for international viewers (in countries that don’t have existing deals in place) starting in January 2025.
News Summary:
- Netflix aired WWE WrestleMania 40 live in New Zealand
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