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After finalizing ownership of the streamer this summer, Disney announced that Hulu will be "fully integrated" into Disney+ beginning in 2026.
Posted in: Sports, streaming, TV, WWE | Tagged: espn, wwe
WWE PLEs WrestleMania, Royal Rumble & More Head to ESPN in 2026
A new five-year deal brings WWE's PLEs (WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and more) to ESPN's soon-to-launch streaming service beginning in 2026.
The Walt Disney Company has been making some serious moves heading into today's earnings call. On Tuesday, the NFL and Disney-owned ESPN finalized a tentative deal (it would still need to be approved) that would see the NFL get a 10% stake in ESPN, while ESPN gets its hands on the NFL Network, RedZone, and seven additional games. This morning, ESPN and WWE announced a new five-year deal that will bring WWE's Premium Live Events (including WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam) exclsuively to ESPN's soon-to-launch streaming service in the U.S. Reports are that ESPN will be paying approximately $325 million per year for the rights, with the deal considered to be substantially higher than the current deal that the WWE has with Peacock.
Set to launch on August 21st, the deal will kick in beginning in 2026, with ESPN streaming all of the wrestling company's PLEs and being able to select simulcast on its linear platforms. For its part, the wrestling company will continue to produce all of its PLEs – with ESPN having the option to also air the company's pre-show and post-show event coverage. What does all of this mean? If you're a WWE fan, then 2026 means you're subscribing to Netflix, Peacock, and ESPN.
"WWE has an immense, devoted and passionate fanbase that we're excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform," ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro shared in a statement. "This agreement, which features the most significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future." WWE President Nick Khan added, "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."
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