By Bobby Burack
Copyright outkick
Most of the country will have to pay for ESPN twice to watch WWE WrestlePalooza this Saturday. In August, WWE announced it would move its monthly premium live events (PLEs) from NBC’s Peacock to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service. At the time, ESPN said customers who received ESPN through their cable or satellite package would get the service at no extra cost. But just days before WrestlePalooza, that perk only applies to subscribers of five providers: DIRECTV, Fubo TV, Hulu + Live TV, Spectrum, and Verizon FiOS. That means Comcast, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Dish Network customers will have to pay $30 a month in addition to their cable bill to watch WrestlePalooza. Not ideal. Right now, ESPN DTC doesn’t offer much exclusive programming beyond WWE events. And while WWE fans once shelled out $50 for a pay-per-view, they’d grown used to paying just $10 a month for PLEs on Peacock and the WWE Network before it. A jump to $30 a month is unlikely to go over well. ESPN could still strike deals with more providers in time for future PLEs like the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. Still, WrestlePalooza will mark the first event to stream on ESPN DTC. According to reports, WWE hopes to establish the event as an annual tentpole. And while WWE continues to post record business, negative fanfare is building. Head of creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque botched John Cena’s retirement tour, booking a flat heel run that ended in a disappointing WrestleMania. Parent company TKO has admitted it plans to dramatically spike ticket prices, even if it prices out average families. And last week, WWE announced WrestleMania 2027 will leave the U.S. entirely—for Saudi Arabia. Again, not ideal. Fans also have reason to question whether WWE is more focused on counter-programming rival AEW — which is the reason WrestlePalooza landed on September 20 — than delivering what’s best for its own audience. Will all this derail WWE’s momentum? Probably not in the short term. But like other sports leagues slicing up games across multiple streaming platforms, WWE is testing its audience by making its product more complicated — and more expensive— to follow.
