More details have emerged regarding the landmark rights deal that will see WWE’s premium live events move from Peacock to ESPN in 2026. A new report has revealed the value of the bid that NBCUniversal’s Peacock made in an attempt to retain the rights.
Peacock’s Bid To Retain WWE PLE Rights
According to a report from Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer, Peacock’s bid to keep the WWE premium live events was “in the neighbourhood of $275 million per year.” While a significant offer, it was ultimately not enough to beat the winning bid from ESPN, which was reportedly for an average of $325 million per year over five years.
WrestleMania Was Shopped As A Separate Package
The report also noted that WWE also shopped around a separate deal with WrestleMania as its own package, but no arrangement for that came together. It is unknown if Peacock’s $275 million bid was to retain the full package of content they currently have, which includes NXT’s major events and the WWE video library, or if it was just for the main roster premium live events.
The move to ESPN in 2026 will mark a new era for the company, as their three main products will be on three different major platforms: Raw on Netflix, SmackDown on USA Network, and the PLEs on ESPN. The full report can be found at F4Wonline.com.
