WWE content to stream on NBCUniversal’s Peacock service

WWE’s strategy for their streaming network is evolving. Now in its sixth year of existence, WWE Network now includes a free tier. The company’s licensed versions of product previously only available on the over-the-top network to traditional television partners like Fox. And Vince McMahon spoke openly about what was an unsuccessful (for now) plan to sell major events to pay-per-view (PPV) outlets.

Here’s another wrinkle which combines elements of all those strategies. According to Variety, WWE content will be available on the premium tier of NBCUniversal’s new streaming service Peacock.

For $4.99 per month (or $9.99 month without ads), Peacock’s “Sports” offerings include:

“More than 100 hours of WWE content coming in August 2020 including series WWE Untold and Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions, and compilations like John Cena’s Best WrestleMania Matches.”

Of the examples given, the first two are standard WWE Network fare. The last is the kind of content the company’s been offering to Fox and NBCUniversal’s television outlets such as USA.

It’s not clear if NBCUniversal is paying WWE for these shows, or if Vince’s company gets a percentage based on subscriptions or views. In theory, the WWE shows would encourage folks to pay for Peacock (which launches tomorrow, July 15) and serve as a sampler for buying a WWE Network subscription.

We’ll see how it works out, and if it influences the future direction of WWE’s streaming platform.