WWE and ESPN have reached a $1.6 billion deal to bring WWE’s Premium Live Events to an all-new streaming service.
Beginning in 2026, ESPN’s new Direct to Consumer service becomes as the home of all of WWE’s PLEs. This is a huge blow to Peacock who inked a deal with the sports entertainment giant in 2021 following the closure of the WWE Network. Peacock houses the library of WWE, WCW, and more, as well as tentpole events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam. The $10 a month also gets users access to Peacock’s entire library.
Details on WWE and ESPN’s Mega Deal
Fortunately, there’s a work around. For non cable cutters (Spectrum, DirecTV) and Fubo/Hulu Live TV users, PLEs will be at no extra cost. YouTube TV, Sling, DISH, Comcast (XFinity), and other major services will reportedly need to subscribe separately. The hefty price tag includes access to ESPN’s linear channels—ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes—in addition to ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX.
“WWE’s agreement with ESPN is a pivotal moment for our millions of fans across the United States: the leader in sports entertainment partnering with the biggest brand in sports media,” said WWE President Nick Khan. “Bringing WWE’s flagship events to ESPN’s platform is tremendously exciting. We know the sky is the limit.”
Added Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN, “WWE has an immense, devoted and passionate fanbase that we’re excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform. This agreement, which features the most-significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.”
The deal is yet another way Khan and TKO have turned over huge profits for WWE since the UFC merger. WWE currently streams its flagship Monday Night Raw on Netflix. The streaming platform recently debuted WWE: Unreal, a behind the curtain look at the WWE writers room.
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