Nick Khan Says Lack Of 'Bureaucracy' Helped Fast Track WWE-ESPN Deal

Last year, WWE secured a massive streaming deal with Netflix that has since become the official home of "Monday Night RAW" and other WWE programming. This week, the promotion and ESPN announced another major deal, which will see all WWE Premium Live Events aired on ESPN for domestic viewers from 2026 onwards.

In light of the deal, WWE President Nick Khan explained how the ESPN deal came together during an interview with "Varsity," noting how Netflix's Brandon Riegg advised him back in 2017 to make sure WWE's international rights were in order before Netflix expanded to live programming. "He was way ahead of the game...So, for us, with the Netflix deal, also a quick negotiation, part of our advantage at TKO is there's no bureaucracy here," he claimed. "Ari, Mark, Andrew, myself, Triple H on the WWE side, if we all agree, 'hey, this is the right move,' boom, we do it; there's no having to check with other owners."

Khan explained that because he and the rest of the board members don't need to make sure owners are happy, they simply look at whether a decision is contractual and if it'll appease fans, then sign off on it. "Netflix deal was quick. Disney deal was quick. I think that's a testament to how the TKO execs have set up the company," he added, noting that this is similar to how UFC is set up. "No bureaucracy, and we just think that's a better way to collectively run a company."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Varsity" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.