In a landmark announcement on Wednesday, ESPN and WWE have reached a new rights agreement that will make ESPN\'s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service the exclusive U.S. home for all WWE Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, starting in 2026.
The new agreement will bring all of WWE\'s major events, such as the two-night WrestleMania and SummerSlam, as well as the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, to the new ESPN DTC platform. WWE will continue to produce all of the events, and the deal also gives ESPN the opportunity to stream the pre- and post-event shows.
Executives from all companies involved praised the new partnership. WWE President Nick Khan called it a \"pivotal moment for our millions of fans across the United States: the leader in sports entertainment partnering with the biggest brand in sports media.\" TKO President Mark Shapiro added, \"We are proud to reinforce the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an exciting juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey.\" ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro stated that they are \"excited to super-serve\" WWE\'s \"immense, devoted and passionate fanbase.\"
This agreement signals the end of WWE\'s relationship with Peacock in the United States. The deal between WWE and the NBCUniversal streaming service, which began in 2021, is set to expire in March 2026. WWE\'s other major U.S. broadcast partner is Netflix, which became the exclusive home of Monday Night Raw in January of this year. This new ESPN deal now solidifies the domestic broadcast future for all of WWE\'s flagship programming.
