WWE and ESPN. Just one word, WOW. What a way to wake up in the morning.
They have announced a new five-year media rights agreement that will see ESPN become the new home for WWE PLEs (Premium Live Events), including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam. This starts in 2026.
ESPN, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, will pay an average of $325 million per year in the deal, according to CNBC. That is a HUGE increase from what WWE receives in its current deal with NBC Universal to broadcast all PLEs on Peacock.
I know, I know, you are all looking for the key info. What does it cost you? Well, currently Peacock charges $7.99 with Ads and $13.99 ad-free. On ESPN DTC, the unlimited plan will cost $29,99 per month, which gives subscribers access to all of ESPN’s linear networks. It is unknown if WWE will be an additional charge. Bundling options with Disney+ and Hulu will also be available.
“WWE has an immense, devoted, and passionate fanbase that we’re excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in his statement. “This agreement which features the most significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.”
The ESPN DTC service will stream all WWE PLEs starting next year. They will also have select simulcasting on ESPN linear platforms. WWE will continue to produce all of its PLEs. ESPN will have the option to air WWE’s pre- and post-show event coverage. It is unclear at this time whether WWE NXT PLEs will be moving to ESPN DTC next year.
WWE President Nick Khan stated, “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. Bringing WWE’s flagship events to ESPN’s platform is tremendously exciting. We know the sky is the limit.”
If you were a smart mark following the WWE, you knew this had to be coming. TKO owns the UFC, and they signed a contract to put their PPVs on ESPN a while ago. TKO has been looking to sign big-money contracts with whoever can get them on the biggest platforms. For instance, WWE and Netflix started a ten-year, $5 billion deal back in January 2025. It saw the streaming giant become the exclusive home for WWE’s Monday Night Raw in the United States, and the exclusive home for PLEs internationally. So when TKO bought WWE from Vince McMahon, you had to know ESPN was going to be getting involved in the WWE cash cow.
“We are proud to reinforce the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an exciting juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey,” TKO President Mark Shapiro said in a statement. “WWE Premium Live Events are renowned for exactly the type of rich storytelling, incredible feats of athleticism, and can’t-miss, cultural tentpole experiences that have become synonymous with ESPN. Through our UFC relationship, we have experienced firsthand how transformational an ESPN presence can be, and we know this will be an exceptional partnership at a time of great innovation for both companies.”
NBC Universal will remain the home on USA Network for WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown through 2029. The Blue Brand episodes will also continue to stream on Peacock. WWE signed a media rights deal with The CW Network to broadcast new episodes of WWE NXT every Tuesday night. It’s unclear if PLEs for their developmental brand will also be moving to ESPN DTC next year.
Please follow The Unlocked Info for any future news about this deal.
