Peacock will step into the wrestling ring this weekend to offer exclusive coverage of the WWE’s live flagship event, WrestleMania XL.

The live, two-night event launches April 6, and will feature many of the WWE’s marquee superstars, including veteran grappler and actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson — who will compete in the squared ring for the first time in eight years —along with Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, according to the WWE.   

Peacock has exclusively live streamed each WrestleMania since 2021 when it secured rights to content from the now defunct WWE Network. That deal expires in 2026. 

The WWE, which in 2023 was acquired by Endeavor Group Holdings and merged with the UFC mixed-martial arts franchise under Endeavor's TKO Group Holdings company, recently secured long-term distribution deals for several of its other television properties. 

This past September, USA Network signed a five-year deal to air the WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown series beginning this October, while last November The CW secured distribution rights to the WWE’s NXT weekly series. 

Also, Netflix will exclusively stream the WWE’s long-running Monday Night Raw weekly series in 2025 as part of a 10-year, $5 billion deal with TKO Group Holdings reached this past January. 

NBCUniversal-owned streaming service Peacock will offer live weekend coverage of the WWE’s marquee live event, Wrestlemania 39, as the company continues to look for a buyer.

Fox will kick off the weekend’s festivities Friday night with its weekly live Friday Night SmackDown telecast, followed immediately by the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, which will stream live on Peacock, WWE said. 

On Saturday, Peacock will stream part one of Wrestlemania 39 event live from Los Angeles, leading off with WWE superstar/actor John Cena in a match against United States Champion Austin Theory. The second night of Wrestlemania 39 will stream Sunday night on Peacock. 

Also: Vince McMahon Returns to Board of WWE, Which will Explore 'Strategic Alternatives'

Wrestlemania 39 takes place as WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon explores options to sell the franchise for approximately $9 billion, according to published reports.

The WWE’s deals with Fox for SmackDown and NBCUniversal’s USA Network for Monday Night Raw end in 2024. The WWE’s exclusive streaming deal with Peacock expires in 2026. ■ 

Wrestling fans will be able to find WWE Network on Peacock starting March 18.

The launch comes just before Fastlane, the first WWE pay-per-view event that will be available to Peacock users who add the WWE Network.

WWE Network will be available for $4.99 a month, five dollars cheaper than when it was a standalone service. Subscribers will be able to watch content including all past WrestleMania, leading up to the live WrestleMania 37, which will stream exclusively in Peacock.

Also Read: Peacock Signups Increase to 33 Million, Comcast Says

Peacock Premium will be home to all upcoming PPV events and the current seasons of WWE Original shows.

WWE will have a dedicated page on Peacock where fans access every PPV event in the last calendar year. They can also watch WWE Programming including Raw and Smackdown 30 days after they air, plus WWE series and documentaries.

Also Read: WWE Shares Get Slammed on Poor Q4 Earnings Report

Peacock will be adding WWE Network's content until the entire WWE Network archive—including every WWE, WCW, and ECW PPV event in history—is available to stream on demand before SummerSlam.

Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers. Peacock is currently available on the Roku platform; Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K, and Apple TV HD; Google platforms and devices, including Android, Android TV devices, Chromecast, and Chromecast built-in devices; Microsoft’s Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One S and Xbox One X; Sony PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and PlayStation 5; and Vizio SmartCast TVs and LG Smart TVs.

With pro wrestling fans home during the coronavirus crisis, streaming service WWE Network has opened up a “vast portion” of its library for a limited time.

The subscription video on demand service will make thousands of hours of content, including every WrestleMania in history as well as other PPV events like Royal Rumble, and original documentaries, the company said. It's unclear how long the free content will be available to audiences. 

The move follows the WWE's decision last week to air on ESPN three classic WrestleMania events over three weeks leading up to the company’s April 4-5 WrestleMania 36 event. 

Related: ESPN to Air Classic WWE WrestleMania Events 

ESPN will jump into the pro wrestling ring, teaming with WWE to telecast encore presentations of classic WrestleMania events beginning Sunday (March 22), the two parties announced Friday.

ESPN will air WrestleMania events in primetime over consecutive Sundays beginning March 22 with the 2014 WrestleMania 30 event. Additional telecasts include 2016’s WrestleMania 32 (March 29) and 2019’s WrestleMania 35 (April 5), said the sports network. The events will also air on the ESPN app. 

“This unique opportunity is a byproduct of the terrific working relationship we’ve enjoyed with WWE over the years and the unprecedented circumstances we all find ourselves in,” said Burke Magnus, executive VP, programming, ESPN in a statement. “WrestleMania is one of the most popular global events in sports and entertainment and the spectacular content it provides will be a treat for fans.”

The ESPN telecasts will lead up to WrestleMania 36, which will be distributed live via pay-per-view and streamed on WWE Network over two days on April 4 and April 5.

“It is a privilege for us to deliver historic WrestleMania content to our world-class partners at ESPN and provide more premium programming to our fans; putting smiles on their faces particularly during this trying time,” said WWE chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating WrestleMania history with ESPN as we head into our two-night pop culture extravaganza on April 4 and 5.”

In other ESPN programming news, the sports network will showcase the high school appearances of such NBA stars as Carmelo Anthony, James Harden and LeBron James as part of an 18-hour block of classic McDonald’s All American Games and Jam Fests on ESPN2.

The WWE said Wednesday it will add a second day to its April WrestleMania 36 event, which will take place in Orlando without an audience.

The event, which earlier this week was moved to the WWE’s Orlando practice facility from Tampa Bay due to coronavirus fears, will stream on the WWE Network April 4 and April 5, said the company.

The event, which will be hosted by former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, will also be distributed via PPV. WrestleMania will take place without an audience, said company officials.

The WWE is also originating its Monday Night Raw and SmackDown live telecasts from its Orlando facility. 

World Wrestling Entertainment saw the paid subscriber ranks for its over-the-top service WWE Network rise 39% in the first quarter, a big driver of overall results where revenue increased 13% and operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) rose 31%.

WWE Network launched in February 2014 and has had some ups and downs as the scripted sports programmer has struggled to attract subscribers. But the service averaged 1.29 million paid customers in the quarter, ending the period with 1.47 million subscribers. At the beginning of the second quarter, subscribers spiked even higher after pay-per-view event WrestleMania , to a record 1.8 million. Whether those customers will remain or will churn after the event remains to be seen.

 “Our strong performance in the first quarter reflected the successful execution of our content strategy,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon in a statement. “The sustained year-over-year growth of WWE Network, the global consumption of our video content across all platforms, and the recent record breaking attraction of WrestleMania demonstrate the increasing strength of our brands. We believe we can continue to leverage these strengths to drive long-term growth.”

Overall revenue increased 13% to $171.1 from $151.3 million in the prior year, excluding the timing impact of WrestleMania, and OIBDA increased 31% to $27.6 million from the previous year. Net income increased to $13.9 million (18 cents per share) from $9.8 million (13 cents per share) in the prior year.  

“Our earnings growth was driven primarily by the increased monetization of our network and television content as well as higher licensing revenue from our franchise video game," WWE chief strategy & financial officer George Barrios said in a statement. "Over the next year, we will continue to focus on producing engaging content across all platforms, investing in emerging markets, and deploying technology across the enterprise to drive our long-term growth.”

Despite taking the equivalent of a pile-driver and  a double-suplex from Wall Street and cable networks  after the launch of its online WWE Network last year, World Wrestling Entertainment could be ready for a rebound,  with BTIG analyst Brandon Ross initiating coverage on the stock with a “buy” rating and a $25 price target, adding that the network is a precursor for how consumers will interact with content providers in the future.

The WWE Network launched in February 2014 offering a lengthy list of content – including past matches and access to pay-per-view events – for the low price of $9.99 per month. Cable networks initially weren’t happy about the service, fearing that it would cannibalize ratings for its Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown programming, as well as take a huge bite out of lucrative PPV revenue. WWE stock traded accordingly, rising steadily on speculation that it would attract millions of subscribers, but when that proved to be overly optimistic, WWE stock plunged. Since then better subscriber numbers for the over-the-top channel (it topped 1 million customers in Q1) have helped the stock. On June 17 it closed at $16.45 per share, up 33% from the beginning of the year, but still nearly half the $30 level it traded at in early 2014. So far the upgrade has had little impact on the stock -- it was trading at $16.29, down 16 cents (1%) in afternoon trading Thursday.

In a blog post, Ross argues that while a loss of investor confidence in management has been a big overhang on the stock, that is about to change. He believes the Network is gaining subscribers, and as one of the pioneers in the concept of cutting out the distribution middle man and going direct to consumer, is on the verge of becoming more profitable.

“WWE is a vertically integrated media company that is well positioned to take of advantage of the changing media landscape, with a scaling direct-to-consumer network, increasingly valuable content, as well as global live entertainment and consumer products businesses,” Ross wrote. “Underpinning its business is a large and passionate fanbase.  The value of the content and fanbase should put a floor under the stock.”

WWE Network gained about 551,000 subscribers in the first quarter, a 63% gain that was largely fueled by a WrestleMania PPV event during that period. The stock fell after those results were announced, largely because investors feared a big increase in churn after the WrestleMania event, with some predicting the service would dip below 1 million subscribers.

While Ross agrees that customer growth will be seasonal and will peak around PPV events, he believes churn won’t be as harsh as some have guessed, with overall subscribers numbering about 1.18 million in the second quarter.

“We believe there is plenty of growth ahead for the Network,” Ross wrote.  “The fact that there are still PPVs being sold, despite the availability of the events for much cheaper on the Network is evidence enough.”

Days after pinning down 1 million subscribers, the WWE Network will be offered free to non-subscribers for the month of February, according to the pro wrestling outfit.

During the month of February, subscribers will have access to all of WWE Network’s programming, which includes live coverage of all 12 WWE pay-per-view events including its Feb. 22 WWE Fast Lane event, original reality shows, documentaries, and WWE library content, said company officials. 

The WWE credits a similar free month offer in November for helping the $9.99 per month subscription service reach the 1 million mark.

“Last November we offered a free month of WWE Network to new subscribers with great success, helping us reach the 1 million subscriber milestone,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer.  “We are excited to extend the same opportunity in February to those who have not yet subscribed so they can experience all that WWE Network offers right before WrestleMania (on March 29).”