NBC's Peacock Acquires Game-Changing WWE Streaming Rights

The Streaming Wars just got more interesting. Monday, NBC's Peacock announced it has reached an exclusive, multi-year agreement to stream the WWE Network in the U.S.

With the deal, Peacock will now air each WWE pay-per-view, including the big one, WrestleMania. The agreement puts an end to WWE Network as an independent streaming service. The WWE Network, which was ahead of the entertainment industry with its 2014 launch, includes over 17,000 hours of content.

WWE Fastlane will be the first pay-per-view event to stream on Peacock on March 21. WrestleMania 37, a two-night event, will air on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11.

Unlike nearly every other development in the streaming industry, users can save money with the new deal. WWE content will be included in Peacock’s ad-supported premium service for $4.99, half the price of the WWE Network. If ads are a deal-breaker, WWE fans can upgrade to the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus for $9.99.

Netflix is the king of the Streaming Wars and isn't losing ground here. Disney+ is, as former OutKick host Jason Martin says, the "babysitter" with endless hours of high-quality family content. Peacock now has the WWE Network to go along with its other hubs. In addition, Peacock is set to inherit more sporting content once NBC Sports Network shuts down later this year.

Thus far, Peacock and Amazon Prime have been the two most aggressive streaming platforms in the sports space. I expect both to continue.

Peacock isn't a substitute for Netflix, but for WWE fans -- and there are many -- it is now the go-to complement.