WWE Heads To ESPN – Is It The Right Move?

From 2026, Disney’s ESPN will become the exclusive platform to stream all WWE events. 

The reported five-year deal, valued at over $1.6 billion, will grant ESPN exclusive U.S. streaming rights to major WWE events, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Other key WWE live shows such as Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank will also feature. This new deal exceeds the WWE’s current five-year deal with Peacock, which is valued at $900 million. 

“WWE has an immense, devoted and passionate fan base that we’re excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform. This agreement, which features the most significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future,” Jimmy Pitaro (ESPN Chairman)

“We are proud to reinforce the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an exciting juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey. 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,” Mark Shapiro (President and CEO of TKO)

Implications

For fans, the exclusive new deal between Disney’s ESPN and WWE is a big win for several reasons. Fans can expect to see more pre- and post-event shows surrounding major events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam. This is similar to how ESPN currently covers UFC.

With WWE content on the huge ESPN platform, more casual sports fans will be exposed to the sport. This increased visibility could lead to a bigger audience for WWE and, in turn, bigger events. While the new service has a higher price point than Peacock, reports suggest that existing cable subscribers with ESPN may be able to access the new content at no extra cost.