Overview
- On Tuesday ESPN issued a firm denial that it had decided not to renew the five-year, roughly $1.6 billion deal to stream WWE premium live events.
- On Wednesday SEScoops fully retracted the story and said it had parted ways with reporter BJ Bethel for publishing without proper verification or a direct response from ESPN.
- Bethel acknowledged he had only tried to contact ESPN through public support channels and omitted reaching a known direct contact before the report ran.
- The 2025 agreement remains in force through 2030, with ESPN reported to pay about $325 million a year for exclusive U.S. streaming rights to WWE premium live events.
- The episode has renewed industry attention on how outlets verify claims about platform strategy, subscription economics for ESPN Unlimited, and the scrutiny that follows large media-rights deals.