ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro Says WWE Is Willing To Work With ESPN Regarding Schedule Of PLEs

WWE premium live events will come to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer platform in 2026 with ten PLEs, including WrestleMania, being part of the deal.

Speaking on The Ringer’s Press Box podcast, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was asked about the deal and what fans might be able to expect.

“Without commenting on the financials of the deal, one of the things that we are focused on from a direct-to-consumer perspective is churn, and minimizing churn. When we first started to look at these premium-level events, we immediately thought of the calendar and the fact that these events could help us plug in some holes and gaps we might have in our schedule, and thereby minimize churn,” he said.

When it was noted that WWE’s hot period (January to August) coincides with the NFL offseason, Pitaro said that was an astute observation before giving more color.

“The executives at WWE have been very clear with us that they are willing to work with us in terms of scheduling. They are producing these events, but I would expect that if I call Nick Khan and say, ‘Hey, can you work with me, we have a particular gap here in our schedule,’ I expect he will. I would emphasize the word premium. The fact that we’re getting WrestleMania for our direct-to-consumer platform is incredibly exciting for us,” said Pirato.

Fans can learn more about the WWE and ESPN deal here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit and link to the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.