ESPN becomes exclusive home for all WWE PLEs in US starting in 2026

ESPN’s Direct-to-Consumer Service to Stream All WWE Premium Live Events in their Entirety, Including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, Money in the Bank and More

ESPN, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, and WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., 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.

The Walt Disney Company is paying $1.6 billion for WWE streaming rights

According to TKO, the five-year deal will begin in 2026 and includes the US streaming rights to WWE’s Premium Live Events events. It will air on ESPN and will see the Disney-owned company pay $325 million per year to the Stamford-based promotion for the broadcast rights.

WWE’s PLE offerings are set to debut on ESPN’s streaming service, which is planned to launch later this year and will cost $29.99 a month. 

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