Triple H has given more insight into the upcoming WWE Raw on Netflix premiere and has answered one of the biggest questions concerning the switch.
One year on from the blockbuster announcement, Raw will finally make its debut on the streaming service on January 6th 2025 and will usher in a new era of programming for the red brand. With the show moving off network TV and part of a subscription service, fans have had many questions about the potential changes to the show from a presentation standpoint such as will there be adverts, will the show look different, what will the age rating be and will Raw once again move back to its 3 hour runtime.
The Chief Content Office has previously confirmed that contrary to what some fans expected and hoped, Raw would remain a family-friendly product and would not revert back to its Attitude Era roots on Netflix. During an appearance on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina, Triple H also spoke about the shows runtime and how being on Netflix allows the show to be more flexible:
“It will be flexible. It will be flexible in I don’t necessarily know the time constraints of network television or cable television apply. It’s a slightly different platform. Much like many episodic shows, they have the ability to do whatever the show needs to have down. If this episode needs to be an hour, great, it’s an hour. If the next episode needs to be 42 minutes, it’s 42 minutes. It’s what makes for the best product. I’m not saying we’re going to be 42 minutes, but clearly we’ll deliver the product in a way that is best for Netflix and their business model and best for our storytelling.”
Triple H Comments On Average Runtime For WWE Raw:
While most Netflix shows do fluctuate in time, there is generally an average runtime of 30 minutes to an hour. When asked about the potential average runtime for Raw on Netlfix, Triple H spoke about the “sweet spot”:
“We have averages. For me, the perfect show time is somewhere in the two-and-a-half-hour range. If you had asked me years ago, the two hour shows, you get into them and you don’t have the real estate on that program to get everything in there you want to get in, all the stories and characters. Sometimes, it’s a good thing because it creates scarcity and opportunity for people to be more over, but sometimes there are things you want to get in there. People lose track of the fact that what we do is live. There are formats we have to stick with and constraints of commercial time. If you run a segment that is scheduled for 10 minutes and it ends up being colossal content and goes 17 minutes, you’re now 17 minutes into a show and you have to find places to pull that out and still hit commercial times and crossover times, which is important for networks. All of that makes it difficult to do.
I think we’ll have more freedom in the format and more freedom to say…if two hours is not enough, three hours you can be in the position of ‘did you need that or was it important?’ I don’t want to say filler because I don’t want anyone to feel like they’re filler. Sometimes, a three hour show, having hours that crossover, you’re so constrained by that, that you’re putting in the show what we call ‘collapsible.’ The show is heavy, we get late into an hour, something has to lose time. What is collapsible? What is not the story driving everything? What can be shrunk or can go quicker? The amount of commercial time doesn’t change. It’s difficult. Sometimes, three hours can feel long, and two hours is not enough. Somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot.”
With WWE content now on Netflix, how does it compare to the previous viewing experience?
H/t to Fightful.
Featured image: WWE
