ESPN happy with WWE deal - Reports

Triple H
Triple H is a WWE Hall of Famer (Image credit: WWE.com)

ESPN and WWE partnered together earlier this year. It appears that ESPN is reportedly happy with this deal.

Ad

WWE announced a new deal with ESPN earlier this year that will see the latter's new streaming service be the home of all the company's premium live events. This meant that WrestleMania, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, etc., will be streamed on ESPN. Wrestlepalooza was the first PLE to be streamed on the platform. However, ESPN raised eyebrows when it gave Wrestlepalooza an overall "C" grade. Many speculated at the time that the sports media giant might be unhappy with the Stamford-based promotion.

Ad

This was further amplified when Freddie Prinze Jr. recently stated on his Wrestling with Freddie podcast that ESPN was unhappy with the deal.

“ESPN, by the way, so unhappy with the deal. I was talking to a friend of mine who works for Disney, and he was just like, ‘Yo, they better make their money back on this deal.’ He just said, ‘They’re hot.’” [H/T Fightful Select]
Ad

Brock Lesnar's retirement date leaked? Check the details!

According to recent reports from Fightful Select, a source within ESPN said they have not heard anything about this and are happy working with the Triple H-led company. A higher-up in the sports entertainment juggernaut also said that they weren't aware of Freddie Prinze's role in wrestling.


ESPN came under fire for the WWE deal recently

Shortly after WWE's deal with ESPN took effect, it came under scrutiny by fans and critics. This is due to the rumored low number of sign-ups and viewers that it has brought to the platform.

Ad

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer analyzed the current numbers and estimated that it would lead to around $30 to $37.5 million in revenue per year, well under the annual amount the company is paying for the streaming rights, which is believed to be around $325 million. Dazn's Steven Muehlhausen issued a statement on the same.

"Things are going well and we have started strong. We don't provide the viewership specifics, but things have been going well," the statement read.
Ad

Check out his tweet here:

It's good to hear that ESPN is happy with this deal despite the rumored low numbers.

Read all the hottest WWE news from Sportskeeda by choosing us as your preferred source. Click HERE.

Quick Links

Edited by Sunil Joseph
sk promotional banner
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications