Peacock Turned Down Option To Match ESPN's Offer For US WWE PPV Rights

NBCUniversal had the opportunity to match ESPN's offer for the United States rights to WWE pay-per-views/premium live events, but the media conglomerate ultimately declined to do so.

WWE pay-per-views currently air on NBCU's Peacock streaming service in the United States and will continue to do so until March 2026, when their five-year deal with WWE expires. WWE pay-per-views will then air on ESPN platforms in the US beginning with WrestleMania 42, with every major main roster show available on ESPN's new direct-to-consumer service, while select pay-per-views will also air on ESPN's linear TV platforms.

WWE pay-per-views will move to ESPN in the United States as part of a five-year deal worth $1.6 billion, or $325 million per year. John Ourand of Puck, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, and Mike Johnson of PWInsider have all reported that NBCUniversal had a right of first refusal which allowed them to match ESPN's offer and retain the rights to WWE pay-per-views, but the company rejected activating the clause. It has been reported that Peacock's offer to retain the rights to WWE pay-per-views was around $275 million per year.

Peacock's current deal with WWE also includes the US rights to NXT's major events, WWE's video library, five documentaries, and 250 hours of original programming. WWE are still able to shop these around should they wish to do so, as ESPN only acquired the rights to main roster pay-per-views.

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