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With WWE Raw’s Netflix debut just around the corner on January 6, fans are asking one big question: how will commercials fit into the mix? Triple H, WWE’s Chief Content Officer, shared his thoughts on the matter during an appearance on The Press Box, giving fans a glimpse into the challenges and benefits of commercials on the streaming giant.
“Look, my guess on their part would be money is part of this. They’re paying us a lot of money. They’re in the business of making money, so they’ve got to have ad times and they’ve fit to sell things, even though it’s a subscription product. There’s other factors that go into that for them,” Triple H explained. “For us, to some degree, it’s a funny thing. Sometimes, they tell us, for whatever reason, ‘Hey, you can have the entire first hour commercial-free.’”
While commercial-free programming may sound like a win for viewers, Triple H pulled back the curtain on just how challenging it can be to execute live television without breaks.
“Commercial-free live television is incredibly difficult. People don’t understand that. To be able to go from, this match ends, you gotta get them out of the arena, you gotta go backstage, you gotta go to this other stuff, you gotta be ready to go on every single thing, in real time, in that moment. If something crashes, if somebody gets injured, there’s no place to go. There’s no commercial to go to,” he said.
Despite the complexities, Triple H reassured fans that the new format on Netflix will be more manageable for the team and could lead to a smoother viewing experience overall.
“There’s less commercial time. It’s going to be more manageable, at least for now. Anything can change, but at least for now. I also think this will be a work in progress for us. The formatting is slightly different here. How we work with things is slightly different, so it’s gonna take us a minute also to get to where we feel comfortable and we feel smooth getting in and out of everything and going to where we need to go. But I think it’ll be a better experience for people. It’s just a part of what we do,” he added.
Addressing criticism about commercials on traditional TV, Triple H set the record straight. “It makes me laugh whenever people say, ‘There’s so many commercials this week.’ Well, same exact amount of commercials we had last week. I’ll give you that maybe we didn’t do as good of a job of managing the time in between the commercials, but it’s the same amount of commercials. We didn’t change anything. The format’s the same.”
Triple H didn’t hold back when explaining the balancing act of commercials and live television, especially as WWE Raw transitions to Netflix. With a promise of a smoother, more manageable format, it seems WWE is ready to tackle the streaming era head-on. Whether it’s adjusting to fewer ad breaks or navigating the challenges of live production, one thing’s for sure: the Game is always ready to adapt.
How do you feel about WWERaw introducing commercials on Netflix? Do you think this approach will improve or hurt the viewing experience? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
