WWE RAW will debut on Netflix on January 6th, and a WWE VP has shared some insight into the production of the show.
Speaking with Sports Business Journal, Brian Fadem, VP and line producer at WWE, discussed the WWE RAW on Netflix premiere.
“The global side is huge, we know we’re exposed to a way bigger market than we normally would be as a domestic product,” Brian Fadem said. “We want to make this show the spectacle, the level that we feel like it should be on a new platform like Netflix. The vibe I get around WrestleMania week is very much the vibe I am getting today, and this past week.”
Fadem noted that the show will have a flexible run time, and WWE is aiming for a three-hour debut episode. Specifically, Fadem highlighted how the broadcast used to have up to 15 commercial breaks, and this will be reduced on Netflix so they can add more context. Additionally, Fadem said that international audiences will not have any commercial breaks.
“While you might go to commercials if you’re in Texas, if you’re in Italy you’re going to see us continue content,” Fadem said. “You’re going to see the continuation of a match. You’re going to see exclusive interviews with our talent. You might see an exclusive package that will only be viewed on that international level.”
WWE Wants To Make A Good First Impression
Fadem also emphasized that WWE wanted to make a good first impression with the RAW on Netflix premiere, and the production team started thinking about the debut “far earlier” than usual back in September.
“There’s only one chance to make a great first impression,” Fadem said. “To us, this chance to really make that first impression for a new audience potentially, or maybe an audience that is more unfamiliar with our product or hasn’t seen it in years [or] decades.”
“The only thing that’s really gotten in our way is the fact the NBA had a game here [Saturday] night,” said Fadem. “I don’t have any doubts in terms of the technology of the building and the amount of cameras that we have. I feel cautiously optimistic at this point. The crew and everyone is way on top of this show because of the enormity of this. Something will always go wrong because it’s live TV, but we always have our backup plans and backups to those backup plans.”
WWE To Use New Technology
Fadem also said that the company would use audio and video technology, which included new tools like “a point-to-point sky cam system, a techno crane for more intimate in-ring shots, and drones inside and outside the venue.” WWE will also use drones to add to the broadcast experience, as they will “use never-before-seen shots of WWE talent to be integrated within the show. Per Fadem, a drone team will film talent arrivals and more behind-the-scenes content.
“We’re just trying to up our game a little bit,” said Fadem. “I think we did a really good job this last year presenting our product, making it feel different than it had in the past. While we don’t want to stray too far from that, we also do want to make it seem like there’s a little bit more of a grand stage to it on a weekly basis.”
