ESPN and WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., have announced a new rights agreement that will see ESPN become the new U.S. domestic home for all WWE Premium Live Events (PLEs).
WWE Premium Live Events Coming to ESPN
This new deal includes the two-night cultural event, WrestleMania, starting in 2026. The new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service will stream all 10 WWE PLEs annually, in their entirety, with select simulcasting on linear ESPN platforms. Marquee events include WrestleMania and SummerSlam — both two-night events — as well as Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank, and more. WWE will still produce these events.
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.
Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN
ESPN is said to pay an average of $325 million per year for five years of U.S. rights to WWE’s live events, according to CNBC.
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 atheticism 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.
Mark Shapiro, Presidnet and Chief Operating Officer of TKO
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.
Nick Khan, President of WWE
ESPN platforms, including its DTC streaming service, will be able to stream WWE’s pre- and post-event shows tied to all PLEs in 2026.
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