The question of WWE’s TV rights following news of the WWE-UFC Merger has been a subject of speculation, and it seems a first move for the post-merger WWE is in motion.
According to PWInsider Elite, WWE is in talks with ESPN to collaborate on new projects moving forward. The biggest caveat is that, for the time being, these talks do not involve a weekly TV series.
A collaboration between WWE and ESPN wouldn’t be the first for the companies, as ESPN was airing classic WWE content in 2020.
The relationship between the two ended after WWE’s deal to migrate WWE Network content to Peacock in 2021.
Speculation at the time held that NBCUniversal was a probable candidate for an eventual sale of WWE, due to the large portion of WWE’s content on various NBCU platforms.
However, it seems with the WWE-UFC Merger that WWE may be looking to diversify its TV presence. WWE’s TV rights with both NBCU and FOX are up next year.
Reporting holds that WWE is open to all conversations on new TV deals, barring somebody paying a lofty sum for exclusive TV rights for the various WWE shows.
Another interesting piece of information from the report is the news that another promotion was in talks with ESPN. Despite AEW’s recent deal with ESPN to air their programming in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, it is confirmed that AEW is not the promotion in question.
Which promotion was in talks with ESPN is unknown, but it can be assumed with WWE stepping back in that those talks are in jeopardy.
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