The rights to all ten of WWE’s premium live events per year were included in ESPN’s new five-year agreement. This involves dramatic presentations such as WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble. This new deal marks a substantial enhancement of ESPN’s entertainment and sports programming portfolio, reflecting the network’s commitment to diversifying its content offerings for fans.
The deal allows fans to stream WWE’s biggest events on ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer service. For only $29.99 a month, subscribers can catch all the action at home or on the go! Plus, some key WWE live events will be simulcast on ESPN’s traditional linear networks, making them even more accessible to fans.
Mark Shapiro, who was at that time a top ESPN exec, and future CEO of RedZone partner Good Karma Brands, sounded excited about the new partnership, telling .
“In many ways, this is our destiny.”
The partnership is a clear step in the direction of realizing ESPN’s stated objective to be more than a sports network. Jimmy Pitaro, the current President of ESPN, touted the network’s original existence as the fulcrum of the intersection of culture and sports. He remarked,
“Our place was built as the entertainment and sports programming network.”
Our unique partnership with WWE will bring in wrestling fandom at any age, keying in on families and casual viewers. WWE’s President Nick Khan had previously pointed to the multigenerational nature of both organizations as a reason for hope. He noted,
“It’s multigenerational viewing, and we think ESPN is multigenerational viewing.”
ESPN hooks WWE’s big-ticket events into its ESPN+ bundle. This central strategy is all about bringing in an expansive, crossover audience that loves sports and entertainment equally well. The inclusion of WWE’s live events is a strategic move that enhances ESPN’s content library and attracts new subscribers to its direct-to-consumer platform.