Saturday Night's Main Event goes exclusive to Peacock

A multi year deal moves Saturday Night’s Main Event to Peacock as an exclusive live stream, with Cena’s retirement match and library access clarified.

Saturday Night's Main Event becomes exclusive to Peacock

Peacock and WWE have announced a multi year agreement to stream Saturday Night's Main Event exclusively in primetime on Peacock four times per year. The contract includes two events this year and, on December 13, 2025, John Cena will compete in his retirement match. The WWE Network library will stay on Peacock through the end of 2025, and NXT Premium Live Events will be available through March 2026. The SmackDown library will remain on Peacock with a 30 day delay, while USA Network keeps its role as the live exclusive home of SmackDown on Fridays.

The deal reinforces WWE's push into streaming and NBCUniversal's commitment to premium live sports and nostalgia content. Cena's retirement match serves as a high profile anchor for the rollout. The arrangement may influence how fans access legacy moments and could shape future rights deals across major platforms.

The move fits a broader pattern in media where streaming exclusivity targets dedicated audiences with premium events. It locks a recognizable franchise into Peacock's lineup and could boost subscriber counts for fans who want a curated, live experience.

For WWE, the arrangement offers revenue certainty while potentially limiting access for casual viewers. For NBCUniversal, it strengthens cross brand synergy and advertising opportunities but invites comparisons with other sports rights deals. In the longer term, this could become a template for monetizing archives while preserving new live content.

Highlights

The deal signals how legacy brands are being monetized in a streaming era.