ESPN reportedly does not intend to renew its massive partnership with WWE when the current agreement expires, though the network is strongly denying that any such decision has been made.
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SEScoops reported that multiple sources said ESPN plans to walk away from the five-year deal after its conclusion unless there is a "massive increase in subscriptions" to ESPN Unlimited or significantly more television providers begin offering the streaming service.
ESPN, however, pushed back hard on the report.
"There is no truth to the report that we have decided not to renew," ESPN spokesman Ben Cafardo said. "They never checked with us before publishing and had they, we would have told them that was completely false."
SEScoops subsequently said it stands by its reporting.
ESPN and WWE agreed to a five-year, $1.6 billion partnership in 2025 that brought WWE's premium live events to the network's direct-to-consumer service.
According to SEScoops, problems have emerged involving the media market, differences in "culture and synergy" between the network and WWE, and fewer cable providers than anticipated picking up the cost of ESPN Unlimited for customers.
ESPN has also increased WWE's visibility across its platforms, including promotion on its television programming and making some WWE content available outside the highest streaming tier.
The partnership is still only in its early stages, meaning plenty could change before the contract actually expires. That's also an important distinction in the competing accounts: SEScoops is reporting ESPN's current intention is not to renew under existing circumstances, while ESPN is denying that it has decided not to renew.
Either way, a five-year, $1.6 billion sports-media partnership suddenly has considerably more intrigue surrounding its future.
