ESPN will launch its long-awaited new streaming service on August 21, at a price of $29.99 a month, bulking it up with WWE events and expanded NFL rights.
The Disney sports division made the announcements as the company was reporting its quarterly earnings Wednesday morning. The moves follow confirmation of a landmark deal between the NFL and ESPN, which sees the league taking a 10% equity stake in ESPN in exchange for control of the NFL Network and other NFL Media properties.
The WWE’s live events, including marquee titles like WrestleMania and SummerSlam, will head to ESPN platforms starting in 2026 after a five-year run on NBCUniversal’s Peacock.
The NFL Draft, a mainstay on ESPN that has grown into a major viewership draw in recent years, has also been given a long-term extension by the partners.
Separately, ESPN and the NFL have reached an agreement that spans ESPN’s DTC service and Disney+. The agreement includes rights for additional NFL content for ESPN as well as interactive features. ESPN’s new streaming service will also carry select out-of-market NFL preseason games during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. ESPN will also be able to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, the League’s DTC service that launched in 2022, with ESPN’s DTC service, which gives fans the ability to watch NFL Network and NFL RedZone through NFL+ Premium.
Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN saluted the WWE’s “immense, devoted and passionate fanbase” and said carrying premium live events from the wrestling circuit would help “drive our streaming future.”
Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer of WWE parent TKO Group Holdings, said the deal comes at “an exciting juncture” in ESPN’s streaming rollout. WWE fare, he added, is “exactly the type of rich storytelling, incredible feats of athleticism and can’t-miss, cultural tentpole experiences that have become synonymous with ESPN.”
ESPN and TKO have a years-long relationship thanks to a UFC rights deal.
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