ESPN recently filed a memorandum on Friday seeking to intervene in a class-action lawsuit against WWE over Premium Live Event access claims. The motion, filed March 27th, asks the court to allow ESPN to join the case and move it into arbitration.
The original lawsuit was filed in January by two consumers in U.S. District Court in Connecticut. The plaintiffs accused WWE of deceptive marketing, alleging the company misled customers about PLE access for ESPN subscribers.
Arbitration Clause at Center of ESPN Motion
According to Brandon Thurston, the plaintiffs did not initially name ESPN as a defendant, apparently to avoid the arbitration clause in Disney's and ESPN's subscriber agreement. ESPN's motion now seeks to enforce that arbitration provision.
The lawsuit seeks over $5 million and represents ESPN subscribers who paid extra for ESPN Unlimited between August 6, 2025, and before Wrestlepalooza on September 20, 2025. ESPN Unlimited costs $30 per month for customers whose providers do not include it.
Case Timeline and Next Steps
The case excludes customers of Hulu + Live TV, Spectrum, Verizon FIOS, DirecTV, or Fubo TV. WWE has until April 13, 2026 to respond to ESPN's motion to intervene.
WWE's deal with ESPN is worth an average of $325 million per year, up from Peacock's $200 million. The case remains ongoing as the court considers ESPN's request to join and move the lawsuit into arbitration.
