ESPN and WWE are tagging in for a major streaming partnership.

Starting in 2026, ESPN’s new streaming platform will become the exclusive U.S. home for WWE’s biggest annual events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series. The five-year agreement gives ESPN the rights to all ten WWE premium live events, with options to stream pre- and post-show coverage. Some events may also simulcast on ESPN’s traditional channels.

This marks a major shift for WWE, which has aired its premium content on Peacock in recent years. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro says the deal will help the network grow younger and more diverse audiences: “WWE is going to help us get younger. It’s going to help us get more diverse. It’s going to help us bring in more females.”

Pitaro also hinted that ESPN and Disney may create additional programming around WWE, potentially involving high-profile talent like NBA stars, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or ESPN host and WWE commentator Pat McAfee.

The new ESPN streamer is set to launch just before the 2026 NFL season. The network previously saw success bringing UFC to ESPN+, and is now hoping WWE can deliver a similar boost. Both UFC and WWE are part of TKO Group Holdings.

Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO, called the move a no-brainer: “Getting on board with the new ESPN service at an early stage is really an opportunity we didn’t want to pass up.” He added that UFC’s presence on ESPN helped it reach a wider fanbase, and believes WWE will follow a similar path.

WWE and ESPN have teamed up before. During the pandemic, WWE allowed ESPN to air classic WrestleMania shows to fill scheduling gaps. That relationship helped pave the way for this long-term agreement.

Nick Khan, WWE President, confirmed that talks moved quickly: “The conversations were quick. They were robust in spirit. We think our entire audience will travel and grow substantially.” WrestleMania will also expand to a two-night event starting in 2026.

This new deal does not end WWE’s relationships with other partners. NBCU and its Versant platform will continue airing Saturday Night’s Main Event and SmackDown, while Netflix holds global rights to Raw, SmackDown, and live events outside the U.S.

Shapiro praised the ability to coordinate WWE’s reach across Netflix and ESPN: “These are two of the most predominant brands in all of sports and entertainment, two supernovas, if you will.”

Financial details were not disclosed, but the deal also arrives as ESPN’s current UFC rights contract nears its 2025 expiration. Pitaro says the UFC relationship remains a priority: “We’re always proud to partner with TKO in some capacity… and I anticipate ongoing discussions with Mark and team.”

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