WWE NXT Deal With Peacock Set to Expire

WWE struck gold with the creation of the WWE Network, a service that housed all of the content under WWE, such as PPVs, WCW footage, ECW footage, and much more. That service would eventually be folded into NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock.

The deal between NBCUniversal and WWE started in early 2021, shortly before that year's WrestleMania 37. This saw Peacock replace the WWE Network in the United States for several years before a new deal was struck between WWE and Netflix.

NXT and Peacock's deal is nearing expiration

WWE announced a deal with Netflix that saw the streaming service hold the rights to Monday Night Raw globally, while outside the United States, the service would host SmackDown, NXT, documentaries, and PLEs.

Another deal saw WWE remove the majority of its content from Peacock and move it over to the new ESPN streaming service. This left Peacock with only NXT Premium Live Events and the Saturday Night's Main Event shows.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that WWE NXT content is scheduled to leave Peacock in about a week unless a new deal is reached between WWE and Peacock. The upcoming NXT Stand & Deliver event will be the final live show under the current deal.

Besides a few titles such as the WWE Evil series, this would leave Saturday Night's Main Event as the only live content from WWE on the service on Peacock.

Johnson also confirms that there isn't any word yet on where the NXT live events and archive will land in the United States.

How have things been going with ESPN?

The relationship between WWE and ESPN isn't even a year old at this point, and problems have already begun to arise.

Last week saw TKO Group President Mark Shapiro criticized the price of ESPN's app, claiming it is "prohibitive" for many WWE fans.

"That $29 cost (of ESPN Unlimited), I believe, is somewhat prohibitive, especially in today’s economy and the struggles that certainly middle-income and low-income earners are having with affordability. They have to get those deals done. Until they do, that will affect our audience."
Mark Shapiro

Shapiro notes that the service will improve when YouTube TV, Dish, and other television properties allow their subscribers to authenticate the service for free. Providers such as Xfinity, DirecTV, and Spectrum are listed on ESPN's site for linking, but a few major names are still missing.