WWE Acquired by UFC’s Parent Company Endeavor; Fighting Promotions Could Pursue Unified Streaming Deal
WWE Acquired by UFC’s Parent Company Endeavor; Fighting Promotions Could Pursue Unified Streaming Deal
After spending several months on the open market, World Wrestling Entertainment has a new owner. The wrestling promotion is being acquired by Endeavor Group Holdings, which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts promotion.
Endeavor has already announced its plans to merge the two companies into one. According to a report from Axios, that company will pursue separate linear TV deals for UFC and WWE, but the merger could mean a unified streaming deal for both promotions in the near future.
UFC’s current streaming deal is with ESPN+, which holds exclusive rights to all pay-per-view matches through 2025. WWE has an agreement with Peacock to stream live matches and events, but that deal ends in 2026, so the streaming rights for both entities could be on the market in similar timeframes.
When asked about the potential for a combined streaming deal for the two promotions, WWE president Nick Khan told Axios, “The good folks at [NBCUniversal] have been tremendous partners to us. So let’s see what they have to say.”
The right of first refusal window has just started for WWE in its linear TV negotiations. Episodes of “Monday Night Raw” air on NBCU’s USA Network, while “Friday Night Smackdown” is broadcast on FOX, and the deals expire in 2024. That means those two companies now get to decide if they’ll re-up their WWE rights, or if those rights will head to the open market. Khan’s comments made it sound as if he’d prefer to continue doing business with those networks, though he’s ready to move on if that’s not possible.
“We’re going to see what that looks like and hopefully it’s robust, and we don’t get out of the ‘right of first’ window, and we strike a deal with each of them,” he said. “If we’re not able to do that, we’ll see what the marketplace has to say and ultimately choose the right partner for the WWE audience in our shareholders.”
UFC’s linear rights are held by ESPN until 2025. Because so many UFC events are pay-per-view, it will likely be easier for the two combat sports to pursue separate TV deals. Streaming platforms offer more flexibility than linear TV can, so it’s logical that Endeavor may pursue a unified streaming deal for both, while still keeping separate linear broadcasting agreements in place.
But which streaming platform would make the most sense as a home for both WWE and UFC? Peacock could be a logical choice, though with UFC pay-per-views coming in at $74.99 per event, Peacock users who are accustomed to thinking of the service as a lower-cost option may get some sticker shock. ESPN+ may not be a perfect fit either, as Disney CEO Bob Iger has stated recently the company has to be more “selective” in its pursuit of costly broadcasting and streaming deals with sports leagues and promotions like WWE.
One dark horse in the industry that could emerge as a potential streaming partner for both WWE and UFC is DAZN. That company has made quite the name for itself recently, becoming Europe's largest digital sports distributor in 2022. In the United States DAZN is mostly known for offering combat sports and already has plenty of experience hosting PPV events. Those factors seemingly make it a perfect fit if UFC and WWE decide to sell their streaming rights together in the next round of negotiations.
DAZN
DAZN is an international sports streaming service dedicated to live and on-demand sports programming. Since its launch in 2016, the platform has expanded to become one of the world’s leading sports streaming destinations, offering coverage that varies by region and includes boxing, soccer, MMA, women’s sports, motorsports, and other major competitions.