A new piece from The Hollywood Reporter has shed some light on how WWE’s deal to broadcast Premium Live Events (PLEs) on ESPN was suddenly moved ahead to a September 2025 launch.
While it was originally expected that WWE would transition its PLE programming off NBCUniversal’s Peacock service and onto ESPN networks by March 2026, it was announced Wednesday that the move will instead happen on September 20, when the promotion presents a newly-announced Wrestlepalooza card from Indianapolis, Indiana.
The change was a shock to many, as details regarding WWE’s agreement with ESPN seemed finalized when announced just weeks back.
WWE brokered the agreement for an early exit with Peacock, The Hollywood Reporter’s Tony Maglio wrote. Once an “OK” was given for WWE to leave the deal in September, ESPN was approached by the wrestling company.
ESPN crucially didn’t have to buy out the remaining portion of Peacock’s deal with WWE for the early start to their agreement, Maglio said.
WWE reportedly felt that they had completed their quota for PLE broadcasts on Peacock due to adding extra events to their calendar this year. This lines up with what an F4WOnline piece said this week, noting that Evolution, Clash in Paris, and a second night of Summerslam helped the promotion reach its quota for shows early.
The recent announcement does not mark the end of Peacock and WWE working together. NXT PLE programming is expected to stay on the platform for now, and the report notes that the two parties have reached a new deal for “main-roster WWE programming.”
Since the story was published, it was announced that Peacock will present four Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcasts per year in a new multi-year deal, beginning in November.
It remains unknown what will happen with NXT’s PLEs by March 2026, when the Peacock deal was originally set to expire altogether. It was confirmed on Wednesday by NBCUniversal that they will continue to host WWE’s video library until the end of 2025. Similarly, the future for that content isn’t too clear.
The announcement from ESPN comes just before the launch of their new direct-to-consumer service, which will go live on Thursday.
