WWE continues to reshape its media landscape with another major broadcasting move. Beginning in 2026, all WWE Premium Live Events will stream exclusively in the United States on ESPN platforms, following a new five-year agreement hailed as a “landmark” deal.
While this news adds another layer to WWE’s evolving broadcast model, fans can rest assured that other programming remains on track. WWE SmackDown will continue to air on USA Network through 2029, per a previously announced five-year deal signed in September 2023. Those SmackDown episodes will remain available for replay on Peacock following their live airing.
Elsewhere, WWE Raw officially made the move to Netflix in January 2025, and the ESPN deal will not affect that arrangement. Netflix also holds international streaming rights for WWE Premium Live Events outside the United States.
Since 2021, WWE’s domestic PLEs have streamed on Peacock. However, the ESPN deal notably does not include the extensive WWE archive currently hosted on the platform. This omission has led to speculation about whether WWE’s historical content will remain on Peacock or be relocated to another streaming destination.
According to CNBC’s Alex Sherman, the ESPN deal is worth approximately $325 million per year, locking in ESPN as the exclusive U.S. home for live WWE special events from 2026 through 2031.
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