Latest news with #NickKhan
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Disney Dropping $1.6 Billion on This Shocking New Sports Deal
Disney Dropping $1.6 Billion on This Shocking New Sports Deal originally appeared on Parade. Well, Mickey's officially gone muscle mode. On Wednesday, August 6, Disney's ESPN announced it's shelling out over $1.6 billion to become the exclusive U.S. streaming home for WWE's Premium Live Events starting in 2026. That includes WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and more—all of which will stream on ESPN's new $29.99/month service once the deal takes effect. The platform itself launches August 21, according to ESPN's official press release. The deal runs for five years and is valued at $325 million annually, marking a huge jump from WWE's previous $900 million deal with Peacock. Select events will still air on ESPN cable channels, but the full experience—including pre- and post-show coverage—will live behind the new paywall. "WWE has an immense, devoted and passionate fanbase that we're excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform," said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. "This agreement, which features the most-significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.' 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 WWE President Nick Khan called it a 'pivotal moment,' while TKO President Mark Shapiro pointed to ESPN's UFC partnership as proof of how impactful this new deal could be. ESPN currently carries UFC under a $300 million annual agreement, which is set to expire later this year. This WWE move wasn't the only billion-dollar play Disney made this week. Just a day earlier, ESPN also confirmed it's acquiring NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL Fantasy in exchange for giving the NFL a 10% stake in ESPN. Disney CEO Bob Iger called it a step toward delivering 'a truly differentiated streaming proposition' in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Fans didn't hold back. 'It's safe to say that this sucks, hard. Many will be reluctant to cough up ~$30/month to Disney,' one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 'That's gonna be a hell and a nah for me. The consumer loses again,' another said. 'Whelp, looks like some of us gonna retire from watching WWE,' chimed in a third. Still, some welcomed the news. 'That's…… that's not that bad of a price tbh,' one user commented. 'If we don't get a WWE Land at a Disney Park this deal is a failure for everyone involved,' another joked. For context, this deal comes just over a year after WWE struck a separate $5 billion deal with Netflix for Raw, which will remain with the streamer. 💪 SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week 💪 Disney, meanwhile, is clearly going all-in on live sports. Alongside the WWE and NFL agreements, it's reportedly in talks with Major League Baseball and already negotiating a new UFC deal. And so far, it's working—the company reported a 29% year-over-year increase in operating income at its sports unit this quarter, reaching $1 billion. 'We're not done building,' Iger said. 'And we are excited for Disney's future.' Disney Dropping $1.6 Billion on This Shocking New Sports Deal first appeared on Parade on Aug 6, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
WWE-ESPN Billion-Dollar Deal Grows Wrestling's Global Reach More Than Ever
WWE inked a fiver-year, $1.6 billion deal with ESPN to exclusively air Premium Live Events. The deal, valued at around $325 million per year, will replace WWE's current deal with Peacock beginning in 2026. This will be 1.6x WWE's billion-dollar deal (at $200 million per year) with Peacock signed in 2021. The deal will see WWE air PLEs on ESPN's new direct-to-consumer service, with some PLEs airing on ESPN's linear TV channels. ESPN also has rights to create original WWE content. There is no word yet on where WWE's content library will air as ESPN's deal is to only broadcast WWE PLEs on its new ESPN Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) service. WWE's 5-Year Deal With ESPN | What To Know "WWE has an immense, devoted and passionate fan base that we're excited to super-serve on our new ESPN DTC platform," ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said. "This agreement, which features the most significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future." 'It's incredible. What we consider the worldwide leader of sports entertainment to be with the worldwide leader of sports and entertainment (ESPN), there's nothing bigger," said WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H. There's no bigger opportunity for us than this right now. And on top of that, to be in the Disney family so to speak, we're thrilled and can't wait to get rolling.' 'Nick [Khan] and I have been thinking about it for a long time. It is the right home for it, it's something we've been trying to work through for a long time.' In a 2021 interview, Nick Khan outlined WWE's strategy of omnipresence to reach as many viewers in as many demographics as possible. WWE's plan is to have a presence on cable TV, network TV and streaming. Through deals with USA Network (cable), the CW (network), Netflix (streaming) and now ESPN (streaming/cable), WWE remains accessible to a myriad of demographics and age groups. 'I'm not convinced that there are a group of 15-year-olds watching linear television who just don't happen to be watching us,' said Khan about reaching new fans at a young age. '[Young wrestling fans] are finding our content elsewhere, and we have to get to them before they're even 15 to make sure we have a chance to win over new fans. So when the other fans start to phase out and get older, we always have a new population coming in.' WWE NXT on the CW has sparked a 40% year-over-year increase in ratings for the network, which plans to create more WWE programming. WWE's partnership with ESPN will kick off yet another content era for WWE—its second in two years after debuting on Netflix on January 6. Similar to ESPN's plans to air live wrestling in addition to original programming, Netflix recently premiered WWE Unreal. The behind-the-scenes docu-series cracked the Netflix's Top 10 list worldwide with 2.3 million viewers for its debut. Netflix executives have been glowing with praise about their partnership with WWE. 'It's everything we could have hoped for and more,' Vice President of Netflix Sports Gabe Spitzer told Variety. 'We knew going in that we're not going to change WWE. It was more, how can we add to it in small ways, and that's what we've seen so far.' WWE's deal with ESPN, while more expensive for some viewers, will continue its global expansion as an improvement from its deal with Peacock. Peacock has 36 million subscribers per a 2025 report, while ESPN exists in 72 million homes.
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Netflix or ESPN? Where to watch WWE Raw, Smackdown, WrestleMania, other Premium Live Events
WWE WrestleMania on ESPN Live Events WWE RAW, SmackDown on Netflix FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel ESPN announced a partnership with WWE, including the streaming rights to WrestleMania, on the heels of an agreement with the NFL. In a deal announced Wednesday, ESPN becomes the U.S. domestic home for WWE Premium Live Events. WrestleMania will be part of ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service starting in 2026. ESPN is expected to launch its direct-to-consumer service before the end of September. The service would give consumers access to all ESPN programs and networks for $29.99 per comes after WWE moved 'Raw' weekly live stream from Comcast's USA Network to Netflix. Netflix agreed to pay more than $5 billion for rights to show "Raw" and other WWE programming including "Smackdown" and "Wrestlemania" over 10 years, part of the streaming service's move into live events that are attractive to WWE fans and viewers in the US will be able to catch all the WWE Premium Live Events on ESPN. In addition to WrestleMania, WWE's Premium Live Events include Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Money in the Bank. Before the agreement with ESPN, these Premium Live Events were streamed on Peacock for American viewers.'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,' Nick Khan, president of WWE, said in a statement. "Bringing WWE's flagship events to ESPN's platform is tremendously exciting. We know the sky is the limit.'Added Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN: "This agreement, which features the most-significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.'Even after deal between WWE and ESPN, Netflix will continue to stream WWE RAW and Smackdown as per schedule for viewers in the US. International viewers will be able to watch WWE Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, on Netflix.A1. Even after deal between WWE and ESPN, Netflix will continue to stream WWE RAW and Smackdown as per schedule for viewers in the US. International viewers will be able to watch WWE Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, on Netflix.A2. Now WWE fans and viewers in the US will be able to catch all the WWE Premium Live Events on ESPN. In addition to WrestleMania, WWE's Premium Live Events include Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Money in the Bank. Before the agreement with ESPN, these Premium Live Events were streamed on Peacock for American viewers.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
ESPN announces partnership with WWE that includes streaming WrestleMania
ESPN announced a partnership with WWE, including the streaming rights to WrestleMania, on the heels of an agreement with the NFL. In a deal announced Wednesday, ESPN becomes the U.S. domestic home for WWE Premium Live Events. WrestleMania will be part of ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service starting in 2026. The deal comes a day after the NFL and ESPN entered into a nonbinding agreement. Under the terms, ESPN, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, will acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN. In addition to WestleMania, WWE's Premium Live Events include Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Money in the Bank. '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,' Nick Khan, president of WWE, said in a statement. "Bringing WWE's flagship events to ESPN's platform is tremendously exciting. We know the sky is the limit.' Added Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN: "This agreement, which features the most-significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.' ESPN is expected to launch its direct-to-consumer service before the end of September. The service would give consumers access to all ESPN programs and networks for $29.99 per month. ___
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ESPN announces partnership with WWE that includes streaming WrestleMania
ESPN announced a partnership with WWE, including the streaming rights to WrestleMania, on the heels of an agreement with the NFL. In a deal announced Wednesday, ESPN becomes the U.S. domestic home for WWE Premium Live Events. WrestleMania will be part of ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service starting in 2026. The deal comes a day after the NFL and ESPN entered into a nonbinding agreement. Under the terms, ESPN, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, will acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN. In addition to WestleMania, WWE's Premium Live Events include Royal Rumble, Survivor Series and Money in the Bank. '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,' Nick Khan, president of WWE, said in a statement. "Bringing WWE's flagship events to ESPN's platform is tremendously exciting. We know the sky is the limit.' Added Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN: "This agreement, which features the most-significant WWE events of the year, bolsters our unprecedented content portfolio and helps drive our streaming future.' ESPN is expected to launch its direct-to-consumer service before the end of September. The service would give consumers access to all ESPN programs and networks for $29.99 per month. ___ AP NFL: The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
