This story was updated at 9:30 PM Eastern.
WWE announced Monday that the WWE Network will launch on NBCU’s Peacock streaming service starting Thursday, March 18th with the standalone service ending on April 4th.
However, the automatic migration for current Network subscribers that was thought to be part of the move is not happening after all, confirming recent reports that said as much.
From the release:
“To continue streaming WWE Network content, fans will need to sign up for Peacock. As previously announced, WWE Network, including all PPVs, will be available on Peacock Premium for $4.99—a $5.00/month savings.” They are currently offering a special $2.50/month offer for the next four months while Comcast and Cox subscribers can get Peacock for free.
The WWE Network will remain active for U.S. subscribers through April 4th with April’s WrestleMania 37 fully exclusive on Peacock. It’s unclear whether an existing Network user signing up for Peacock will automatically cancel an existing WWE Network subscription or if an additional action is needed.
After signing up, Peacock streamers can access every PPV show from the last calendar year, every WrestleMania, the most recent/current episodes of Broken Skull Sessions, Chronicle and Icons, NXT the day after it airs on USA, both Raw and SmackDown episodes 30 days after they air live, WWE documentaries and more. The release said the entire WWE Network archive will be available on Peacock by this August’s SummerSlam.
The Verge reported Monday that match markers won’t be making the trip from the Network, but that Peacock is working on “visual scrub bar previews to help viewers find what they want when fast-forwarding through WWE videos.” Additionally, the search functionality won’t be as robust but that is expect to be improved through time.
Peacock’s free tier will also feature a WWE channel with select WWE original shows, reality TV shows like Total Bellas, recent in-ring content, and new episodes of Raw Talk and The Bump.
In late-January, WWE and NBCU announced the Network would move to Peacock in a deal rumored to be five years and more than $1 billion.