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Entertainment

18th Jan 2025

Brits issued Netflix warning as millions face £1000 fine for watching one show

Ryan Price

This would be a nasty letter to get in the post.

Netflix subscribers in the UK have been issued a warning that they could be fined up to £1000 for streaming one particular show on the platform.

Recently, the streaming giants have expanded their offerings by signing a huge multi-billion dollar deal with the WWE.

For those who don’t know, the WWE is an American professional wrestling promotion that has been in operation for over twenty years and is responsible for producing some of the biggest stars in the sport of wrestling.

The company was previously owned by the infamous Vince McMahon, and was home to superstars such as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena and The Undertaker.

WWE Raw premiered on Netflix earlier this month with live shows being broadcast every Tuesday at 1am in the UK.

Its debut saw the likes of Macaulay Culkin, O’Shea Jackson Jr and Baby Reindeer‘s Richard Gadd in attendance.

As part of the mega contract, Netflix also received the entire WWE archive to watch on demand.

If you fancy reliving your childhood by watching some WrestleMania’s that feature Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton or Shawn Michaels, you’re in luck.

Although those who use the subscription have paid to watch the programmes on it, it has been highlighted that you could possibly be slapped with a huge fine for enjoying some body slamming action.

For UK viewers who want to watch any of the live events as they happen, you could be breaking the law without realising.

In this country, it is a legal requirement to have a TV licence if you want to watch live content as it is broadcast.

That applies to any service, from television to YouTube and, yes, Netflix.

Daniel McAfee, who is head of legal operations at Lawhive, explained: “Under UK law, any live television broadcast requires a valid TV Licence, regardless of the streaming platform.

He urged Brits to ‘stay informed on licensing changes as streaming platforms expand live broadcast offerings’.

Therefore, if you want to watch WWE Raw on Netflix, you will need one, otherwise you could be hit with a £1000 fine.   

Many have been excited to watch the show since its release, with one X user joking: “Sorry I can’t go to work today I have to watch the entire archive of WWE Monday Night Raw on Netflix.”

Another wrote: “I was debating staying up for Raw but realised I can just watch it when I wake up lmao. WWE ate this one lil thing with this Netflix deal.”