ESPN clarifies and updates who will have access to Wrestlepalooza on Saturday through their existing service, timeline to add more

ESPN will stream WWE Wrestlepalooza this Saturday, the first WWE PLE as part of a new five-year ESPN partnership. Most, but not all, existing ESPN customers will have access to the show without paying for another service.

YouTube TV and Comcast are two of the larger multi-channel linear distributors (think “traditional legacy cable” rather than on-demand app brands like Netflix, HBO Max, Prime) that do not offer an ability to validate the ESPN Unlimited app as part of the paid subscription that includes the linear ESPN channel.

ESPN’s cable channels on Saturday night will be airing live college footballs games, not WWE’s PLE. To see Wrestlepalooza, a viewer must watch on the ESPN app on their TV (such as Roku or smart TV interfaces) or mobile device.

The destination point for ESPN is to allow anyone who pays for access to the linear ESPN channels through a cable-like service to be able to validate that subscription within the ESPN app on their mobile device or smart TV and thus gain access to the ESPN Unlimited app without paying an additionla fee. DirecTV, Fubu, Hulu Live TV, and Fios allow for that already, as do some cable systems.

Other customers, including those with YouTube TV, Dish, Sling, and Comcast among others, don’t have that option set up yet. So some viewers will have to use an existing ESPN/Disney+/Hulu subscription to access WrestlePalooza or will have to sign up for $30. That is an increase in what many WWE fans were used to paying for Peacock, the previous WWE PLE distributor. Peacock, in most instances, cost less than $10 a month during the time period if offered WWE PLEs.

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During today’s ESPN media call, ESPN executives clarified that they are aiming to expand authentication for existing customers to the “vast majority” by the start of 2026.

“We’re in the process of rolling that accessibility out,” said ESPN executive John Lasker. “We’re not 100 percent there today, but over the next couple months, the vast majority who subscribe to ESPN will have access to the ESPN Unlimited plan and then therefore will have access to all the [WWE] PLEs to come.

“Without specifically calling out any vMVPD (Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor) here, by the turn of this calendar year, we’re expecting the vast majority of our existing ESPN subscriber base to have access to ESPN Unlimited and are working hard to make it not vast majority, but all. And we’re doing that as soon as we can.”

Each arrangement is negotiated separately, and some of those deals need to renegotiated before adding that feature.

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