Nick Khan Explains Why WWE’s Deal With ESPN Happened So Fast

WWE’s $1.625 billion move to ESPN’s new streaming platform might have seemed sudden, but according to Nick Khan, it was anything but complicated.

Speaking on The Varsity podcast, Khan explained why the deal came together much faster than most major sports media agreements. While these kinds of negotiations can drag on for months or even years, WWE and ESPN found themselves on the same page from the jump. That alignment led to a streamlined process — one that Khan said made perfect sense for everyone involved.

“The WWE–ESPN deal, as you mentioned, did not take as long. It was sort of clear: here’s the subscriber base, here’s how we think we can grow it together, and hey, this is the perfect platform for us and our consumer.”

Khan also made it clear that the lack of corporate red tape at TKO — the parent company of WWE and UFC — played a major role. Instead of layers of approval, just a small group of top executives needs to greenlight major decisions.

“Part of our advantage at TKO is there’s no bureaucracy here. It’s the folks I mentioned earlier—Ari, Mark, Andrew Schleimer, our CFO, who’s much more than a CFO, he’s a terrific operator as well—Ari, Mark, Andrew, myself, Triple H. On the WWE side, if we all agree, ‘Hey, this is the right move,’ boom, then we do it. There’s no having to check with other owners, there’s no making sure this box is checked. It’s: contractually, can we do it? If we can do it, do we like it? Is it the right home for our product, for our fans, for consumers? If it is, we’re in. Netflix deal was quick. Disney deal was quick.”

This no-nonsense structure at TKO is helping WWE pull off some of the biggest media deals in pro wrestling history — fast and without friction. With ESPN and Netflix now in their corner, WWE is clearly positioning itself for a new era of global streaming dominance.

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