Huge Update On WWE's New ESPN PLE Deal, New Details Revealed (WWE News)
More details on WWE's five-year deal with ESPN.
Following the huge news that WWE has struck a deal for ESPN to be the exclusive US home for all Premium Live Events from 2026, there now comes an update on what that means for WWE and the sports broadcast leader.
For those who may have missed it, yesterday saw it announced that WWE PLEs will move to ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service from next year, with select WWE events also simulcasting on ESPN's linear platform. Per CNBC, that agreement will see WWE net a cool $325 million each year for the next five years, which dwarfs WWE's previous $180 million per year deal with NBC Universal's Peacock as the US home for PLEs.
Since that news broke, Fightful Select has reached out to inquire about what will be happening to the WWE archives, to which the outlet wasn't given a firm answer, but noted how there is a belief that WWE has an advanced deal with Google due to the company's YouTube presence that could mean a "far grander utilisation" of WWE's Vault channels.
Following Wrestlenomics' Brandon Thurston saying he's of the impression that Peacock's current deal with WWE PLEs runs until March 2026, this Fightful report adds that the ESPN deal is expected to kick off ahead of WrestleMania 42, running through until just before WrestleMania 47. Seemingly a strategic move, that means that WrestleMania 47 will be on the horizon as a major selling point when WWE comes to renew their ESPN deal or if looking to ship those PLEs elsewhere.
Following a Paul Levesque appearance on ESPN yesterday, it's expected that we'll be seeing plenty of cross-promotional work between ESPN and WWE, including ESPN names appearing on WWE pre-shows. Interestingly, TKO stock was down 2.69% yesterday after this announcement.
For those wondering, this deal will not impact SmackDown on Peacock in the United States. While WWE's blue brand airs on the USA Network, it will continue to stream on Peacock as part of a separate deal that runs through until 2029. SmackDown will be the only WWE content on the Peacock service once that ESPN deal kicks in next year.
ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service launches on Thursday, 21 August at $29.99 per month, which will feature NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, international soccer, college football, various other sports, and plentiful analysis shows such as SportsCenter, First Taken, and The Pat McAfee Show. As well as WWE being listed as "just around the corner" for the service, so, too, are UFC events. The recently acquired NFL Network will also be a part of that DTC service.
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