PEACOCK ACQUIRES WWE STREAMING RIGHTS IN THE US

NBCUniversal’s Peacock announced Monday it’s reached an exclusive agreement to stream wrestling matches from the WWE Network in the U.S. TThe financial terms of the Peacock-WWE Network pact were not disclosed. “We feel great about the financials. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have done the deal,” said Nick Khan, WWE’s president and chief revenue officer, who joined the company last August from CAA. “To have WrestleMania in particular, which is our Super Bowl, available on Peacock is quite different from other models you’re seeing.”

The agreement replaces the WWE Network’s independent streaming platform in the U.S., though it will still exist on its own in other countries. On 18th March, the streamer will begin releasing 17,000 hours of WWE Network content. Original series, archives, and documentaries will all be included in the library, as well as pay-per-view events like WrestleMania. Customers in the U.S. will  gain access to all this for a half-off discount while also accessing the rest of Peacock’s library. While the WWE Network’s platform costs users USD 9.99 per month, Peacock’s ad-supported premium service is $4.99 per month. Users can upgrade to the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus for $9.99.

The announcement comes as streaming platforms from Disney to AT&T’s WarnerMedia compete for coveted shows to coax customers to their services. An extensive archive of shows has become even more important as production delays caused by the pandemic have shaken up schedules for new releases. "Fastlane" will be the first pay-per-view event to stream on Peacock on 21 March, with additional “signature documentary” annual rollouts beginning in 2022.

In the third quarter of 2020, WWE Network had average paid subscribers of 1.6 million, down about 60,000 from the prior quarter but an increase of 6% year over year — marking the service’s first annual growth since Q1 of 2019. "For Peacock, the WWE Network is “a transformative addition,” said Rick Cordella, Peacock’s EVP and chief revenue officer. “We have a lot of data that shows live events and sports drives a lot of user acquisition.The bet is that there exists a much larger total available audience than is on WWE Network today.”