Just under four months ago, WWE and ESPN finalized a five-year, $1.6 billion agreement to broadcast all WWE premium live events (PLE) on ESPN’s new streaming service, ESPN DTC. Although the deal was initially set to launch at next year’s WrestleMania, it will actually begin earlier, at Wrestlepalooza this September. Despite the strong start with the contract’s early kickoff, some skepticism about the partnership’s long-term success has surfaced.
On a recent episode of “Wrestling with Freddy,” Freddie Prinze Jr., who is both an actor and former WWE writer, reviewed last weekend’s Survivor Series: WarGames PLE. During the discussion, he casually mentioned hearing that ESPN is reportedly unhappy with the WWE deal. Prinze Jr. shared that a friend working at Disney suggested ESPN is eager to recoup their investment, implying dissatisfaction with the current arrangement.
Though he did not specify the reasons behind ESPN’s unhappiness, Prinze Jr. humorously pointed out that the rebranding of pay-per-view events to PLEs might be contributing to lower sales. While WWE has previously highlighted strong attendance and viewership numbers when events aired on Peacock, comparable data has not been shared since the transition to ESPN, with neither WWE nor ESPN releasing audience statistics.
Fan Take: This news is significant for WWE fans because it hints at potential challenges in the new broadcasting partnership that could impact the availability and promotion of major WWE events. If ESPN’s dissatisfaction grows, it might affect WWE’s exposure and revenue streams, ultimately influencing the future production and presentation of these shows.
