Starting in 2026, WWE premium live events will air on ESPN in the United States as part of their new streaming service.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal is reportedly for $1.6 billion over five years ($325 million per year). An official start date was not announced, but it’s all but certain to be with this April’s WrestleMania from Las Vegas.
“Select events” will also be simulcast on ESPN’s linear networks. According to the announcement, the deal may also include ESPN streaming both pre and post shows for those PLEs. WWE will also continue to produce all events.
The new ESPN streaming service launches on August 21st at $29.99 per month or $300 per year, meaning WWE fans will need to pay more than they were with Peacock. However, those with existing access to ESPN through a traditional cable/satellite package will get access to the new service at no additional cost through login authentication.
In the ESPN announcement, accessibility to archive content was also not mentioned. Lightshed Partners’ Brandon Ross speculated that Netflix may want to grab those rights. He also noted NXT PLEs are not in the deal, leaving another asset for TKO to get TV rights for.
ESPN is still negotiating with UFC as TKO’s other major content hub’s deal with the sports leader ends at the close of 2026. They are continuing to load up their impending service by signing a deal with the NFL that brings the popular RedZone and other content over.
The deal ends WWE’s five-year contract with NBC Universal that began in March 2021 and included both PLEs and archive content for domestic viewers. In the WSJ, they stated the Peacock PLE deal was at $900 million “according to people familiar with the pact.” Their contract for WWE SmackDown on USA and the quarterly Saturday Night’s Main Even specials remains intact.
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