Over the last ten or so years, it’s been hard to gauge just how much interest there is in WWE. While television viewing figures are down compared to twenty years ago, how people watch sports has changed.
If you get down to figures alone, the most watched WWE match was WrestleMania XL, with the Rock’s return and Cody Rhodes’ victory achieving a record-breaking 67 million views in 24 hours on the WWE YouTube channel.
But raw viewership numbers don’t tell the whole story. With this in mind, we thought it was a good idea to more deeply analyse the relevance of WWE and its market diversification in 2025.
A Change in Viewer Habits
Traditional TV viewership has declined across the board, not just for WWE matches. According to a recent report, linear TV viewing – accounting for both broadcast and cable – has dropped below 50% of total TV usage in the US, while in Canada, the number of hours spent watching traditional television services has decreased by 27.8% since 2013.
In conjunction with this, the viewership for online streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, has grown. In May 2025, for instance, streaming surpassed broadcast and cable combined for the first time, capturing 44.8% of TV viewership. A large majority of US households – around 88% – now have at least one streaming service subscription, with many having multiple subscriptions, and this is just the way consumption is changing.
The WWE has been feeling this. One particular low point was in May 2020, when an episode of Raw drew just 1.68 million viewers on traditional television. Compare that to the WWE’s peak popularity in the 1980s, when it was consistently drawing in over 5 million weekly viewers, and you can begin to see the shift.
New Streaming Audiences
As we mentioned previously, however, these viewers haven’t disappeared. The majority of them have switched to streaming services, and that’s exactly where the WWE has shifted to. Right now in the US, the WWE’s main streaming home is Peacock, where all WWE Network content – including live events, pay-per-views, documentaries, and the massive match archive – is exclusively available.
Just last year, too, WWE signed a $5 billion deal with Netflix to bring Raw to the platform, including in Canada, the UK, and Latin America. For viewers who aren’t subscribed to these platforms, WWE also runs one of the most successful sports entertainment channels on YouTube, posting daily clips, highlights, interviews, and live match streams.
The figures here speak for themselves. Since WWE moved its content to Peacock, monthly pay-per-view events have seen year-over-year viewership increases of 26%, 25%, and 46% respectively.
Meanwhile, the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix drew about 2.6 million US households, and approximately 4.9 million views globally – a more than 100% jump from its average viewership on USA Network. While official viewership figures aren’t publicly released by YouTube, WWE boasts over 1 billion followers across various social media platforms, demonstrating just how much their market diversification has paid dividends.
The Market Diversification of WWE
It’s important to bring in the world of sports betting at this point. While WWE is scripted entertainment, the rise of legal sports betting has opened new doors for fan engagement. In Canada, for instance, Ontario has recently become the country’s most active iGaming market, with plenty of online platforms welcoming new players every day.
Granted, many of these players are getting involved to play slots and win prizes, with incentives like the recent Jackpot City promo code and other welcome bonuses drawing them in, but for others, the words ‘sports betting’ are far more alluring. Almost one-third of the world’s population participates in sports betting at some point in their lives, and with iGaming platforms growing more popular, that’s a lot of new people being introduced to WWE in an online space.
This shift is a win-win for WWE. As betting platforms create more markets around WWE matches, WWE’s transition services like Peacock and Netflix align perfectly with these new fans, creating a cohesion that enhances both accessibility and engagement. Beyond streaming and betting, WWE has also seen success through expanding into merchandise, mobile gaming, and even the world of NFTs and collectibles.
Partnerships with various tech platforms and social media channels have also helped to keep the brand highly visible across multiple demographics, from traditional wrestling fans to more digitally native audiences. By embracing these diverse revenue streams and engagement methods, it’s clear that the sport isn’t just adapting to the modern entertainment landscape – it’s essentially shaping it.
ConclusionThis market diversification strategy has been crucial to WWE’s ongoing relevance. Yes, the figures are important, but the real teller is how often you see WWE in the limelight, especially across the internet. Even non-fans are regularly encountering WWE clips, discussions, and betting markets online, which ultimately keeps the brand visible and culturally relevant, even if it’s going through a bit of a rough patch. By meeting audiences where they are, it has secured a strong foothold in the digital age, ensuring it remains a key player in wrestling for years to come.
