Just days after announcing a landmark rights agreement for WWE’s premium live events, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro has confirmed that the network is also interested in acquiring the rights to WWE’s extensive historical content library.
Appearing on The Ringer’s Press Box podcast, Pitaro was asked if ESPN would pursue the WWE library when the rights become available.
He made it clear that the company would be keen to explore the opportunity. “Yeah, we’re always interested in content of that quality,” Pitaro said. “I will tell you that we will have the archival rights for the events that we are airing, but yes, in terms of their library, we certainly would be interested if and when those rights are available.”
This comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that starting in 2026, all of WWE’s main roster premium live events, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam, will move from Peacock to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service.
Pitaro explained that the deal is a strategic move for ESPN, as the events can help fill programming gaps and minimize subscriber churn. “One of the things that we are focused on from a direct-to-consumer perspective is churn and minimizing churn,” Pitaro said, adding that he expects WWE to be flexible with scheduling to help fill holes in the sports calendar.
Calling the addition of WrestleMania “incredibly exciting,” Pitaro emphasized that entertainment has always been part of the ESPN brand.
The future U.S. home of WWE’s library remains the final major piece of the company’s media rights puzzle. The library includes thousands of hours of historical footage, currently housed on Peacock, but that deal is set to expire in March 2026.
You can check out the complete podcast below:
