The new deal with ESPN is for five years and doesn’t include access to WWE’s large archival library, Wrestlenomics has learned, though new PLEs that air live on ESPN’s platform will be available there for replay.
The deal will pay WWE an average of $325 million per year, according to the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. That’s a 1.6x increase over the $200 million that NBCUniversal has been paying since 2021.
Under the deal, ESPN’s streaming platform will carry WWE’s live PLEs. The announcement also notes that select PLEs will also broadcast on ESPN’s “linear platforms” (read: traditional TV channels). The press release from TKO and ESPN doesn’t specify which PLEs those might be or what traditional ESPN channels might simulcast certain events.
ESPN also announced today that the new service will launch on August 21 and will be priced at $30 per month and will provide access to all of ESPN’s traditional TV channels: ESPN, ESPN2,ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, ESPN Deportes, as well as additional sports broadcasts that air on ABC, ESPN+, and other platforms.
The new deal means at least live broadcasts of PLEs in the U.S. will leave Peacock in early 2026.
ESPN’s platform will also air pre-shows and post-shows of the PLEs, according to a person familiar with the new deal. WWE’s vast archival library of wrestling content are also not a part of the new deal.
We’ve asked WWE and NBCUniversal if Peacock will continue to be the home of WWE content, including WWE’s video library. We’ll update our reporting if we learn more.