WWE & UFC Will Negotiate TV Rights As Separate Entities, Could Pursue Combined Streaming Deal

WrestleMania 39 has come and gone, with Monday morning's news that UFC's parent group Endeavor bought WWE almost immediately taking over the headlines. With plenty of details to still sort out, though, there's also the question of what will happen when both WWE and UFC have to negotiate their TV rights deals. In an interview with WWE President Nick Khan, Axios was able to get some answers. Most notably, each entity will go through those particular negotiations on their own. However, that doesn't close the door on a combined streaming deal in the future.

"The most important thing is that NBC and Fox, from a WWE point of view, feel respected in the process," Khan stated. "So we're going to enter those conversations with them," also noting that the right of first refusal "just starts now."

Currently WWE's linear TV rights deal with both NBCUniversal and Fox Corp., each of which have the right of first refusal to re-up with WWE, are set to expire next year. Additionally, its streaming deal with Peacock (NBCUniversal) expires in 2026. For a while now, fans have been able to watch WWE premium live events at no additional charge as long as they had a Peacock premium subscription. It remains to be seen what will happen with that model going forward. Meanwhile, UFC's original five-year contract with ESPN was extended through 2025.

"We're going to see what that looks like and hopefully it's robust, and we don't get out of the 'right of first' window," Khan added, hoping the companies can "strike a deal with each of them." Regardless of whether that happens or not, Khan is aware that it's all about finding the correct landing spot. "If we're not able to do that, we'll see what the marketplace has to say and ultimately choose the right partner for the WWE audience and our shareholders."