WWE and ESPN reached an agreement that will include WrestleMania in ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service from 2026.
The agreement, which was revealed on Wednesday, covers two-night events like SummerSlam and WrestleMania in addition to other WWE premium live events like Money in the Bank, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble.
Hailing WWE, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro issued a statement, saying: “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.”
For all Premium Live Events, ESPN will also have the chance to broadcast WWE’s pre- and post-event performances.
Mark Shapiro issues statement
Mark Shapiro, president and chief operating officer of TKO, stated, “We are proud to reinforce the ‘E’ in ESPN at such an exciting juncture in its direct-to-consumer journey.”
According to him, the rich storytelling, amazing athletic achievements, and unforgettable cultural tentpole experiences that have come to define ESPN are all hallmarks of WWE Premium Live Events. “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.”
ESPN will continue to use the name of the linear network, ESPN, when it launches its streaming service on August 21 for $29.99 a month.
In addition to ESPN on ABC and a number of other streaming alternatives, the direct-to-consumer service will give customers access to all seven of ESPN’s domestic linear networks.