ESPN Denies Report on WWE Deal Not Being Renewed

As previously reported, an earlier report from SEScoops by BJ Bethel states that ESPN doesn’t plan on renewing its streaming partnership with WWE, which is currently finishing up its first of five years. In a statement issued to PWInsider, ESPN is denying Bethel’s report.

The statement reads, “There is no truth to the report that we have decided not to renew. They never checked with us before publishing and had they, we would have told them that was completely false.”

Bethel’s report, citing multiple sources, notes that issues with the WWE and ESPN streaming partnership stem from the current media market, “culture and synergy” issues between the two entities, and the failure of television providers to pick up the cost off the app for customers. Also, it’s stated that the deal was put together by Disney and TKO executives, and that there were “virtually no discussions” between WWE and ESPN when the ESPN App launched last year. However, it’s also said that this changed more recently.

The two entities entered a five-year partnership where the ESPN App became the new streaming home of WWE premium live events in the U.S. The deal is reportedly valued at $1.6 billion (approx. $325 million per year).