ESPN denied a report claiming the company has already decided not to renew its WWE premium live event deal when it expires in 2030.
BJ Bethel of SEScoops reported Tuesday that ESPN “won’t be renewing the contract when it expires,” citing the current media market, culture and synergy issues between the companies, and cable providers declining to carry the cost of the app. F4W Online was told the claim was baseless, and ESPN then issued the outlet a statement.
“There is no truth to the report that we have decided not to renew. They never checked with us before publishing and had they, we would have told them that was completely false,” the statement read.
The WWE deal began in 2025 and approaches its one-year anniversary next month, with Wrestlepalooza on September 20 having been the first premium live event on the platform. The events stream on ESPN’s app for Unlimited subscribers, often with a first-hour simulcast on ESPN or ESPN2, though SummerSlam did not get one.
ESPN Unlimited recently became available to YouTube TV subscribers at no additional cost, and its standalone price rises to $31.99 per month on September 17.