As ESPN prepares to launch its new direct-to-consumer streaming service priced at $29.99 monthly, the corporate has struck a deal to start broadcast all of WWE’s premium reside occasions beginning in 2026.
The deal consists of all the main reveals from WWE together with occasions comparable to WrestleMania and SummerSlam. The WWE was beforehand with Peacock however now the skilled wrestling outfit, which shares the identical possession group as UFC, is transferring to ESPN.
It’s a 5 yr deal reportedly value $325 million per yr, a major enhance from the present deal WWE had with Peacock at $180 million per yr.
The brand new ESPN streaming service, which is ready for launch on Aug. 21, is ready to air all the main WWE occasions with choose occasions simulcasting on ESPN linear platforms.
“We’re proud to strengthen the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an thrilling juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey,” TKO Group Holdings president and chief working officer Mark Shapiro stated in a launch. “WWE Premium Stay Occasions are famend for precisely the kind of wealthy storytelling, unbelievable feats of athleticism and may’t-miss, cultural tentpole experiences which have change into synonymous with ESPN.
“Via our UFC relationship, we’ve got skilled firsthand how transformational an ESPN presence might be, and we all know this will likely be an distinctive partnership at a time of nice innovation for each firms.”
The deal bulks up ESPN’s new streaming service, which is the primary time the corporate is together with all of its linear channels and on-line choices in a single package deal for shoppers to buy with limitless entry beginning at $29.99 monthly. Customers with entry to ESPN via conventional cable or satellite tv for pc packages plus streaming providers comparable to YouTube TV may have entry to the brand new streaming service after verifying via their current cable/satellite tv for pc package deal.
ESPN additionally only in the near past inked an enormous take care of the NFL so as to add much more content material to the brand new service with the sports-first community taking up possession of the NFL Community and all of its programming.
The addition of WWE occasions comes simply 4 months earlier than the UFC’s broadcast take care of ESPN is coming to an finish. The UFC has been negotiating with a number of potential companions with hypothesis that the promotion seemingly finally ends up splitting its package deal between a number of shops.
As of now, WWE programming is successfully break up between Netflix for Monday Evening Uncooked, the USA Community for Smackdown and now ESPN with the premium reside occasions. That might give some indication on the place the UFC finally lands, particularly if TKO may doubtlessly stick with the identical companions for each firms.
