WWE Arrives at ESPN: A New Chapter in Wrestling
A historic agreement between World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and ESPN will mark a before and after in the broadcast of wrestling events. Starting in 2026, fans will be able to enjoy WrestleMania and other premium events on ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming platform. The recently announced agreement includes the broadcast of two-night events such as WrestleMania and SummerSlam, as well as other major WWE events, such as Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank. WWE will be in charge of producing these events for ESPN platforms, which will become the exclusive home of wrestling in the United States.The association also includes the transmission of the programs before and after WWE premium events.WWE has an immense, dedicated, and passionate fanbase that we are excited to serve on our new ESPN DTC platform. This agreement, which features WWE’s most important events of the year, reinforces our unprecedented content portfolio and drives our streaming future.
Jimmy Pitaro, President of ESPN
ESPN will launch its streaming service on August 21st with a price of $29.99 per month and will keep the name of the linear network: ESPN. The direct-to-consumer service will allow users to access the seven national ESPN linear networks, in addition to ESPN on ABC and several other streaming options. It should be noted that WWE events were previously broadcast on Peacock in 2025.We are proud to reinforce the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an exciting juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey. WWE’s premium live events are renowned for the exact type of rich storytelling, incredible feats of athleticism, and must-see cultural experiences that have become synonymous with ESPN. Through our relationship with UFC, we have experienced firsthand how transformative a presence on ESPN can be, and we know that this will be an exceptional partnership at a time of great innovation for both companies.
Mark Shapiro, President and COO of TKO
