It’s protected to say that Wednesday morning began with a shocker — WWE Premium Dwell Occasions are leaving Peacock in 2026 and are going to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer (DTC) service. So, the place does this depart all of WWE’s huge assortment of archival footage that’s at present on Peacock? Fightful Choose has info on the matter.
The place Will WWE’s Archives Be Going?
Per Fightful’s unique report, the outlet wasn’t given a agency reply from ESPN’s spokesperson, nevertheless it was famous that WWE has an “superior cope with Google due to their YouTube presence.” The outlet additionally famous that the “Vault YouTube channels might see a far grander utilization.”
One of many firm’s vault channels is, after all, the WWE Vault on YouTube. The channel consists of traditional matches and never-before-seen footage. One of many newest uploads was round 8 hours in the past, and it’s titled, “Story of The Undertaker | Rise of The Phenom (1995-97).” It’s the fourth chapter within the profession of the WWE Corridor of Famer.
Additionally, WWE uploaded 8 hours in the past, the total match between Masato Tanaka and Mike Superior from the 1998 ECW Heatwave occasion. The channel boasts 2.66 million subscribers, whereas WWE’s authentic YouTube channel has 110 million subscribers. So, quickly, the WWE Vault channel ought to achieve just a few extra subscribers. WWE additionally has a YouTube channel that was created in November 2024, devoted to every little thing WCW.
Again to the ESPN Deal
The factor that basically stands out about this new deal is the hefty price ticket. WWE followers with Peacock are paying round $10.99 a month, whereas with the ESPN deal, followers might be paying $29.99 a month. Although it was lately reported, those that are subscribed to ESPN by way of any conventional TV supplier (together with cable or satellite tv for pc) gained’t must pay the $29.99. All followers must do is signal into the ESPN app, after which they may have full entry to every little thing accessible, together with the WWE PLEs.
ESPN is claimed to be paying its personal hefty worth for the WWE content material. As per CNBC, ESPN pays $325 million a 12 months for the subsequent 5 years for the unique rights. What’s fascinating is that Peacock paid loads much less when the content material initially moved from the WWE Community to the streaming service. The corporate paid solely $180 million per 12 months. Issues are undoubtedly altering within the professional wrestling business.
