Disney interested in WWE broadcast rights for FX, not ESPN, NY Post says

WWE (WWE) has finished its exclusive negotiating window with Fox (FOXA) and Comcast (CMCSA)/USA Network without a new deal, The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reports. It is still early in the process, but one party that does have interest in adding the WWE is Disney (DIS), according to sources. The potential cable placement would not be ESPN, but rather FX, the author says, adding that this makes more sense since ESPN can’t guarantee a night of the week to WWE. Besides FX, the biggest new player could be Amazon Prime Video (AMZN), the publication adds. The author also notes that Peacock’s five-year, $1B WWE streaming deal is not in play for this round, as it is not up until March 2026, right before Wrestlemania 42. The Post would also add Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Apple (AAPL) as “dark horse candidates.” CBS (PARA) is not expected to be in on WWE rights, and while Netflix (NFLX) is always mentioned, it shouldn’t be until they show any willingness to spend big on these sorts of deals.