WWE Network to shut down in the US as Peacock smack downs WWE streaming rights

wwe network peacock

Credit: WWE/NBCUniversal
  • The WWE Network will shut down its streaming operations in the US, as its content will become available on the Peacock streaming service March 18.
  • The agreement was announced today by WWE and Peacock’s owner NBCUniversal.
  • Specific financial terms of the deal were not officially disclosed, but one source claims that NBCUniversal will spend over $1 billion for the rights.

Peacock, the recently launched streaming service, is about to lay the smack down for pro wrestling fans. NBCUniversal and WWE announced today they have signed a deal that will allow the massive video content library from WWE Network to stream on Peacock.

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As a consequence, the WWE Network will actually shut down operations in the US later this quarter. All of its current and future content — including all future WWE PPV events like WrestleMania 37 — will be available to stream on Peacock starting March 18. More details on how current WWE Network subscribers will transfer to Peacock will be revealed at a later date. The specific financial terms of the deal were not officially revealed, but The Wall Street Journal claims Peacock will have the WWE streaming rights for five years, at a cost of over $1 billion. There’s no word on how this deal will affect the WWE Network in other markets.

The deal is a major coup for NBCUniversal, which has been trying to gain new subscribers for Peacock since it launched nationally in mid-July 2020. It recently became the exclusive streaming home for the hit TV sitcom The Office in the US. NBCUniversal claims the service has 26 million users but has not revealed how many of them are paying subscribers. Peacock has a free subscription tier, with ads, but also has a $4.99 per month paid tier with ads with more content, and a $9.99 a month level without ads.


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