WWE Partners with Twitch to Bring New Content to Its Channel
WWE has announced a multi-year partnership with Twitch to bring fresh content to its Twitch channel. This includes more than just reruns of content streamed on other social media channels.
Live and Exclusive Content
The partnership will feature “live and exclusive content,” starting with a sidecast for Monday Night Raw. The sidecast, set to debut tonight at 7pm CT, will be led by a rotating cast of hosts and will include appearances by WWE Superstars, backstage interviews, and more.
Expanding Opportunities for Superstars
During the pandemic, WWE prohibited its contracted superstars from earning revenue on third-party platforms such as Twitch. However, this policy was reversed last year under the leadership of Paul “Triple H” Levesque, allowing the superstars more ways to grow their brand and express themselves beyond traditional television programs.
Testing the Waters on Twitch
It remains unclear if other WWE live weekly programs, such as NXT and Friday Night SmackDown, will also receive sidecasts like Monday Night Raw. The partnership with Twitch will serve as a testing ground for what content works best on the platform. Additionally, press conferences for premium live events will now be streamed live on Twitch.
WWE’s Previous foray into Gaming and Streaming
WWE has previously ventured into the gaming and streaming spaces through programs like UpUpDownDown, where superstars engage in challenges in popular video games. They were also involved in shows with G4 that featured collaborations between superstars and G4 personalities, although this partnership ended last year with the network’s shutdown.
The first Monday Night Raw sidecast will exclusively debut on Twitch tonight at 7pm CT, with the lineup of featured personalities still unknown.