Posted on 8/06/125 by Bob Magee
BRISTOL, Conn. and STAMFORD, Conn. (August 6, 2025)—ESPN, a
subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), and WWE,
part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), today
announced a landmark rights agreement as ESPN platforms,
including the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service,
will become the exclusive U.S. domestic home of all WWE
Premium Live Events (PLEs), including the two-night cultural
phenomenon WrestleMania, starting in 2026. This deal makes
ESPN home to the highest-profile WWE events of the year.
The ESPN DTC service will stream all WWE PLEs annually, in
their entirety, with select simulcasting on ESPN linear
platforms. Marquee PLEs include WrestleMania and SummerSlam
– both two-night events – and Royal Rumble, Survivor Series,
Money in the Bank, among others. WWE will continue to
produce all PLEs.
Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN: “WWE has an immense, devoted
and passionate fanbase 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.”
Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer, TKO:
“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.”
Nick Khan, President, WWE: “WWE’s agreement with ESPN is 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. Bringing WWE’s flagship
events to ESPN’s platform is tremendously exciting. We know
the sky is the limit.”
ESPN platforms, including its DTC service, will have the
opportunity to stream WWE’s pre-and post-event shows tied to
all Premium Live Events.
All of ESPN. All in One Place. Coming Soon.
For the first time ever, ESPN will offer its full suite of
networks and services directly to fans, along with an
enhanced ESPN App that integrates game stats, betting
information, fantasy sports, commerce, multiview options and
a personalized SportsCenter For You. Designed to give fans
more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, these
new features and functionality will be available to all fans
who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV
devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a
traditional pay TV package. For more visit the ESPN DTC
Press Kit.
About WWE
WWE® is the global leader in sports entertainment. The
company creates and delivers original content 52 weeks a
year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-
friendly entertainment on its television programming,
premium live events, digital media, and publishing
platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than
1 billion households worldwide in more than 20 languages
through world-class distribution partners including
NBCUniversal, The CW and Netflix. In the United States,
NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is currently the
exclusive home to all premium live events, a variety of
original programming and a massive video-on-demand library.
Netflix is the exclusive home for WWE programming around the
world, other than select international markets. WWE is part
of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO).