Author: Josh Nason

ESPN will have no creative control or jurisdiction over WWE talent as part of their five-year deal that kicks off this Saturday with Wrestlepalooza.

ESPN+ senior vice president JT Lasker and vice president of programming & acquisitions Matt Kenny were asked that question during a Wednesday media call with Kenny confirming they don’t have or want any say on creative.

He said their relationship in that regard is not dissimilar to relationships they have with other rights holders, acknowledging that the stick/glove/ball sports are different than combat sports.

“They retain creative control which, by the way, we are fine with. I don’t need to opine on what a script should be to WWE,” he said. “I think we’re excited about what they do, how they do it and we’re excited for Saturday.”

The question was tied into the inclusion of Brock Lesnar on the show given he was named in the still-ongoing lawsuit between Janel Grant, Vince McMahon and WWE.

Here’s some other highlights from the call that included a declaration that WWE & wrestling coverage would not be affected, and that there was no ulterior motive in running Wrestlepalooza on the same day as AEW All Out:

• Wrestlepalooza will be part of the ESPN’s multi-view option, allowing fans to watch action alongside other ESPN live sports programming.
• They are continuing to work out deals with various cable/streaming providers that ESPN airs on in order to give those subscribers access to ESPN Unlimited. It was said that “by the turn of the calendar year,” the “vast majority” of their existing ESPN subscriber base will have access to the service with the ultimate goal of turning “vast majority” into “all.”
• As of now, deals with providers like Xfinity/Comcast and YouTube haven’t been completed while subscribers of DirectTV, Fubo, Spectrum, Hulu Live and Verizon FIOS do.
• Asked about the future of WWE archive content, it was noted their deal is for PLEs which will be available on demand. They directed questions about the broader library to WWE.
• They deferred questions about a Baseball Tonight or NFL Live-esque WWE coverage show, but said it’s a big deal for SportsCenter to be on site at Wrestlepalooza considering it’s a college football Saturday.
• Just like with UFC, WWE will continue to handle all production.
• Asked if any new PLEs will be added on the calendar and specifically in December that is absent of one, Kenny didn’t have any real answer as the relationship is still very, very news, saying, “anything on that will bear itself out.”
• Asked about what metrics they are using to determine whether this relationship is a success, Lasker couldn’t share target numbers, but said they want to grow ESPN’s overall audience and attract new subscribers who might not subscribe in another way. They also want to create new value for existing subscribers.
• Kenny said there is a “minimum threshold” of times when WWE PLEs will simulcast on ESPN’s linear networks. That will be determined in a collaboration between them and WWE that begins with the ESPN content strategy team to identify opportunities that exist within the massive amount of commitments with ESPN’s existing portfolio of rights. Kenny said it’s still very early in all of this, but acknowledged the simulcasts could end up being more beneficial which would result in a change in how they look at doing them.
• Kenny was asked about the reaction internally to the WWE deal given what it is. He said he lived the same question when UFC was brought on and it’s a challenge to create advocacy within the company. He used the example of The Usos coming to their headquarters in Bristol Tuesday which was a short notice thing, announced internally with a sign on the door for employees coming in. Despite that, the demand was enormous with north of 250 employees wanting to get pictures and a line that had to be cut off, showing there is more of an interest and acknowledgment than some realize.