TKO COO Mark Shapiro: The First WWE PLE On ESPN ‘Has To Be The Feel Of A Super Bowl’
The Super Bowl will air on ESPN in 2026.
Coming off the heels of WWE announcing a new deal with ESPN to bring their Premium Live Events to the platform in 2026, TKO Group Holdings executives, WWE talents, and those alike made the media rounds to speak about the news.
One of those individuals was TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro. He was part of the Q2 2025 TKO Earnings Call and said the first PLE on ESPN must have the same feel as the NFL’s Super Bowl. There is going to be a close comparison available because ESPN will simulcast the Super Bowl with ABC in 2026.
“The launch of the WWE PLEs on ESPN, that first event has to be the feel of a Super Bowl, and that works well, because ESPN is getting ready for their first Super Bowl. So we expect to have that kind of treatment when you see WrestleMania on ESPN, let alone the very first launch event which of course, Netflix did an amazing job of when we first launched Raw and had our first event there.”
Elsewhere during the call, Shapiro shared that TKO could’ve gotten a ‘slightly higher’ rights fee if they went to another partner, but they saw the strength of ESPN’s brand.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit the original source with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
