NBCUniversal’s Peacock Acquires WWE Network’s Exclusive Streaming Rights In The United States

Robert DeFeliceJanuary 25, 2021, 1:26 pm

WWE Network subscribers will soon be migrated over to the NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock.

As first reported by Variety, WWE and NBCUniversal have reached a multi-year agreement giving Peacock the exclusive streaming rights to WWE Network content for American viewers. All American subscribers to the network, which is currently about 1.1 million subscribers, will be migrated over to Peacock Premium, where they will continue to get access to the WWE Network but pay half of the current amount. Peacock Premium it’s currently $4.99 per month with ads. Subscribers want a tier without ads, it will cost $9.99 per month, just like the current WWE Network.

Talk of WWE moving its streaming rights to a major service first began in 2020, prior to the pandemic.

The terms were not disclosed, but a person familiar with the deal told the Wall Street Journal that the deal runs for five years and is worth more than $1 billion.

“We feel great about the financials. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have done the deal. To have WrestleMania in particular — which is our Super Bowl — available [for no extra cost] on Peacock is quite different from other models you’re seeing,” said Nick Khan.

“We have a lot of data that shows live events and sports drives a lot of user acquisition,” said Rick Cordella, Peacock’s EVP and chief revenue officer. “The bet is that there exists a much larger total available audience [for WWE programming] than is on WWE Network today.”

The current plan will see Peacock launch the WWE Network on March 18 and the first pay-per-view event streamed on the service will be WWE Fastlane on Sunday, March 21. The plan also calls for WWE to produce a “signature” documentary per year beginning in 2022.

WWE put out the following press release:

PEACOCK TO BECOME THE EXCLUSIVE HOME OF WWE NETWORK IN THE U.S.

New York, NY, and Stamford, Conn., January 25, 2021—Peacock and WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced a multi-year agreement that gives Peacock exclusive streaming rights to WWE Network in the U.S.

“NBCUniversal has a long-standing relationship with WWE that began nearly 30 years ago with Monday Night Raw on USA. WWE has always tapped into the cultural zeitgeist with spectacular live events and larger-than-life characters, and we are thrilled to be the exclusive home for WWE Network and its millions of fans across the country,” said Rick Cordella, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, Peacock. “WWE Network is a transformative addition to the platform and complements Peacock’s massive catalog of iconic movies and shows, as well as the best live news and sports, from NBCUniversal and beyond.”

“We are thrilled to further the long-standing and trusted partnership WWE has with NBCUniversal,” said Nick Khan, WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer. “Peacock is an innovative platform that will enable us to showcase our most significant events, including WrestleMania, and provide the extraordinary entertainment our fans have come to expect with the combination of premium WWE content, live sports, news, films, and television programs.”

Peacock will launch WWE Network on March 18, beginning the roll-out of more than 17,000 hours of new, original, and library WWE Network programming on demand and on a 24/7 channel, including:

* All live pay-per-view events including WrestleMania and SummerSlam; Fastlane will be the first * WWE pay-per-view to stream on Peacock on Sunday, March 21.
* Original series like Steve Austin Broken Skull Sessions, Undertaker: The Last Ride and the all-new WWE Icons;
* In-ring shows like NXT, NXT UK and WWE 205 Live, as well as replays of Raw and SmackDown;
* WWE Network archives, including every WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per-view event in history;
Groundbreaking documentaries, including WWE 24, WWE Untold, and WWE 365;
* And, starting in 2022, one signature documentary annually.

The companies will share details on managing customer accounts closer to the Peacock launch in March. WWE Network, including all PPVs, will be available on Peacock Premium for $4.99-a $5.00/month savings-where members will enjoy access to the entire WWE and Peacock catalog, more than 47,000 hours of premium programming. For an ad-free experience, Peacock Premium Plus will be available for $9.99.

Viewers can sign up for Peacock at peacocktv.com. Peacock is currently available on the Roku platform; Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD; Google platforms and devices, including Android, Android TV devices, Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices; Microsoft’s Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One S and Xbox One X; Sony PlayStation4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and PlayStation5; and VIZIO SmartCast TVs and LG Smart TVs. Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers enjoy Peacock Premium included with their service at no additional cost.