Triple H seems to be on throughout WrestleMania 41 Saturday at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Georgiana Dallas | WWE | Getty Photos
The WWE is coming to ESPN.
The Disney-controlled sports activities and leisure enterprise can pay a mean of $325 million per yr for 5 years of rights to the WWE’s largest reside occasions, together with WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam, starting in 2026, in accordance with individuals conversant in the matter who declined to be naming talking concerning the deal specifics. Spokespeople at WWE and ESPN declined to remark.
NBCUniversal’s Peacock had beforehand paid $180 million per yr over 5 years for the package deal, in accordance with two individuals conversant in the matter.
All 10 of the WWE’s premium reside occasions annually will stream on ESPN’s new $29.99-per-month direct-to-consumer platform. Choose occasions will likely be simulcast on ESPN’s linear networks.
The WWE and ESPN have strategically moved nearer collectively lately, mentioned TKO Group President and Chief Working Officer Mark Shapiro in an interview. TKO is the controlling proprietor of WWE. Shapiro, himself, was a high govt at ESPN within the early 2000s.
“In some ways, that is our future,” mentioned Shapiro. “If you wish to increase the viewers, our fan base, the fervor round WWE, and develop on an actual important nationwide scale, you’ll be able to’t try this because it pertains to the sports activities world with out partnering with ESPN.”
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro mentioned he would have been all in favour of bidding on the package deal of occasions even when ESPN weren’t about to debut its new streaming service. Nonetheless, including the occasions, for no further cost, for subscribers of the digital product will assist cut back churn for skilled wrestling and assist increase ESPN past conventional sports activities.
“Our place was constructed because the leisure and sports activities programing community,” mentioned Pitaro, referencing the literal which means of the acronym, “ESPN.” “This can be a implausible manner for us to increase our viewers. It is youthful, it is extra numerous, and it is extra feminine than what we see on the community degree.”
Thirty-eight p.c of WWE’s viewers are girls, famous WWE President Nick Khan. About 50% of people that attend WWE reside occasions include youngsters, he mentioned in an interview.
“It is multigenerational viewing, and we expect ESPN is multigenerational viewing,” mentioned Khan.
In 2024, WWE signed a 10-year, $5 billion cope with Netflix to stream “Uncooked” each Monday night time, starting this yr.
“SmackDown,” which airs Fridays on USA Community, will proceed to stream on Peacock. That deal expires in 2029, in accordance with individuals conversant in the matter.
Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the mum or dad firm of CNBC and USA Community.