Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: peacock, wrestling, wwe, wwe network

WWE Network Moves to Peacock as WWE Reports Record Profits

Published Mon, 25 Jan 2021 07:24:14 -0600

Last updated Mon, 25 Jan 2021 08:10:19 -0600

Alongside a press release from WWE Monday morning announcing the company expects to report record profits for 2020 (record 2020 Operating Income of $209 million and record 2020 Adjusted OIBDA of $286 million), WWE and NBC dropped the news today they've made a deal to for the exclusive rights to WWE's premium streaming content, I.E. the WWE Network, to become a part of NBC's Peacock streaming service.

The official logo for the WWE Network.

From a press release from WWE and NBC about the news, here's the details on how the deal will work:

Peacock will launch WWE Network on March 18, beginning the roll-out of more than 17,000 hours of new, original, and library WWE Network programming on demand and on a 24/7 channel, including:

All live pay-per-view events including WrestleMania and SummerSlam; Fastlane will be the first WWE pay-per-view to stream on Peacock on Sunday, March 21.

Original series like Steve Austin Broken Skull Sessions, Undertaker: The Last Ride and the all-new WWE Icons;

In-ring shows like NXT, NXT UK and WWE 205 Live, as well as replays of Raw and SmackDown;

WWE Network archives, including every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view event in history;

Groundbreaking documentaries, including WWE 24, WWE Untold, and WWE 365;

And, starting in 2022, one signature documentary annually.

The companies will share details on managing customer accounts closer to the Peacock launch in March. WWE Network, including all PPVs, will be available on Peacock Premium for $4.99—a $5.00/month savings—where members will enjoy access to the entire WWE and Peacock catalog, more than 47,000 hours of premium programming. For an ad-free experience, Peacock Premium Plus will be available for $9.99.

In cast that's not clear, when the new deal takes effect in March, WWE Network subscribers will become Peackock Premium members automatically, effectively cutting their bill in half from the current WWE NEtwork price of $9.99 to the current Peacock Premium price of $4.99. If subscribes want the ad-free experience, they can upgrade to Peackock Premium Plus for the same price they're currently paying for the WWE Network: $9.99. For current WWE Network subscribes, there doesn't appear to be any drawback to the deal; they'll get the same content for the same or lower price, plus everything available on Peacock. Likewise, new subscribers to either service will get all of the content from the other. More details should be released in February.