Network giant Peacock faces loss of key sports broadcasting rights by 2026
ESPN to Become Exclusive Home for WWE Premium Live Events
Starting in early 2026, ESPN's direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service will become the exclusive U.S. home for all WWE Premium Live Events (PLEs), marking a significant rights deal between ESPN (a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and WWE (part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc.).
Under this new arrangement, WWE will continue to produce these events, but ESPN platforms will handle their distribution. All WWE PLEs will be streamed in their entirety on ESPN's DTC service, with select events simulcast on ESPN’s linear TV channels.
The new ESPN DTC service is set to launch on August 21, 2025, ahead of the rights takeover. Initially, it will cost around $30 per month for standalone subscribers. However, subscribers who access ESPN through traditional pay-TV providers will be able to authenticate and access the new streaming service and WWE content at no additional cost.
This deal covers the highest-profile WWE annual events, making ESPN the new home for WWE's biggest cultural and sporting events in the U.S., starting with WrestleMania 2026. The contract reportedly extends for 5 years and is valued near $1.6 billion.
The exclusive streaming of live WWE events will include fan-favourite events such as "Royal Rumble," "Survivor Series," "Money in the Bank," "WrestleMania," and "SummerSlam." Pre- and post-event shows associated with these events will also be exclusive to ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming platform.
It's important to note that ESPN+, a smaller-scale subscription, does not include access to ESPN's linear networks. The new ESPN app will offer an unlimited plan for $29.99 a month, providing access to all of ESPN's linear networks.
Meanwhile, "Monday Night Raw," WWE's flagship show, is no longer available on Peacock. Instead, it has been exclusive to Netflix since a 10-year, $5 billion exclusive rights deal with WWE's parent company TKO Group Holdings. Peacock has lost the exclusive rights to WWE's premium events, which it held since 2021.
Many viewers may receive the new ESPN service for free as part of their subscription to cable, satellite, or other streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu. The new ESPN app will not affect the exclusive streaming of "Monday Night Raw" on Netflix.
The new ESPN streaming service is expected to offer around 47,000 live events per year. With this move, ESPN's streaming service will become the exclusive streaming home for all live WWE events starting in 2026.
Football fans can now watch select WWE events, including the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank, WrestleMania, and SummerSlam, on ESPN's direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming service. This new service will also stream the entirety of the WWE's highest-profile annual events, making it the exclusive streaming home for all live WWE sports entertainment starting in 2026.
