Is RAW moving to Amazon Prime? There has been plenty of talk about what's next for the WWE's long-running Monday night show as the USA Network's rights to air RAW expire later this year. Now, there's speculation it could move to a streaming service, a change that could change the wrestling industry forever.

Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourland is predicting Amazon Prime will acquire the rights to RAW. Ourland recently predicted on many different moves in sports including Prime picking up the rights to an NFL playoff game. As for RAW, Ourland noted:

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Amazon gets “WWE Raw” rights and keeps the series on Monday nights. This hits an audience of young males, a demo where Amazon believes it sees growth in Prime subscriptions. Plus, it gives the company another night of live programming on Prime Video.

Sports Business Journal

Hourland also has two interesting prediction regarding Warner Brothers Discovery. First, he predicts the Paramount/WBD merger will not happen. As for WBD, he writes:

Warner Bros. Discovery already renamed its sports divisions in the United Kingdom and Ireland as TNT Sports. The company will bring that name stateside this year, dropping the cumbersome Warner Bros. Discovery Sports in favor of TNT Sports. It will use TNT Sports regardless of whether the event is carried by TNT, TBS, truTV or Max.

In addition, Hourland commented on ESPN renewing its current deal with UFC. This is noteworthy due to last September's merger between Endeavor (which owns UFC) and the WWE under the TKO-Holdings umbrella. Hourland predicted:

The UFC has been one of the main drivers of ESPN+ subscriptions, so ESPN has prioritized renewing this deal. Other media companies kick the tires on the property, but ESPN sews this one up quickly. One scenario that could be in the offing: Disney cuts a TKO Group deal that incorporates both UFC and “WWE Raw,” which Disney would carry on its FX cable channel. That scenario would become likely if WWE is unable to find enough money from “Raw” suitors. But it looks like one media company will step up for that property.

The big question is how much the WWE will get for RAW. The company cleaned up with its recent deal to air SmackDown on the USA Network and its deal to air NXT on the CW. The WWE is hopeful it will get a large rights increase for RAW.

Potential For a Seismic Shift in the Wrestling Industry

There have been reports of various suitors for RAW including FX, WBD, Disney, and Amazon. If RAW airs on a streaming service, it would be a major shift from the WWE's traditional home on cable and broadcast television. However, the WWE has always prided itself on being on the cutting edge of wrestling. Once upon a time, wrestling promotions typically paid channels for the right to air their content. Over time, this shifted to cable stations sharing advertising revenue and eventually paying for the rights to air programming.

If the WWE shifts to a streaming service such as Disney+ or Amazon, it could prove to be a timely change. Ringside News discussed the benefits of airing on a streaming service as opposed to a traditional broadcast channel:

Cable TV is seeing a decline in viewership, while streaming services are on the rise. This shift has reshaped how television content is valued monetarily. Streaming services provide precise data insights, allowing companies like WWE to accurately assess their viewership and the value of their product.

H/T Ringside News

For now, fans must wait to see where RAW ends up. If the WWE signs with a streaming service, you can be sure other wrestling promotions will watch how things play out.

Do you want to see RAW move to a streaming service?

Image Credit: WWE