ESPN’s President Of Content Talks Possibly Airing WWE Programming Down The Road

ESPN’s President Of Content Burke Magnus appeared on the Sports Media program with Richard Deitsch to discuss a number of topics such as how they passed on being a potential distribution outlet for WWE a few years ago, but has since changed their stance and think their is a possibility for them to be the distribution outlet for WWE programming down the road as WWE’s fans and ESPN viewers do overlap.

Burke Magnus said:

“I’d say I believe our companies — and this changed a couple of years ago so this is not breaking news but I believe our point of view towards WWE as a potential distribution outlet for their events, I think we passed that a long time ago and I think we’re now in the bucket of, hey, if their rights are available and there’s a deal for us that works and a deal for them that works with us, I think it’s certainly a possibility. There’s no hesitation anymore from a brand perspective or from a live event versus scripted. Their fans and our viewers, there’s tremendous overlap so, to me, it’s just about the business of it and is there something that works.”

Burke Magnus also discussed how it’s impossible to do a 52-week-a-year business with the WWE on their ESPN television station at the moment because of the other rights that they have, but they could do a little business with them on the digital or streaming side.

Burke Magnus said:

“I may have said this to you last time we talked but, to their credit, they run a 52-week-a-year business, right?… And I’m thinking, well, let me start from the linear perspective. 52 weeks a year is impossible for us to do on almost any configuration based on the other rights that we have. So that actually cuts against us from a linear perspective but on the digital side, if we were to be in business with them on a streaming or direct-to-consumer or distribution or a pay-per-view distribution or other such thing, I think that’s more easily achievable and they have a great product… Well I’m not (talking to WWE). So, I’ll just leave it at that.”

You can check out Burke Magnus’ full comments at this link. H/T to PostWrestling for transcribing the above quotes.

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