WWE and Disney Discussing Family-Focused Special Events for 2027

# What was announced

TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro told attendees at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference that WWE and The Walt Disney Company are discussing special events for 2027. He framed the talks around reaching family audiences that both brands share.

Shapiro's comments did not include specifics about formats, locations, or timing. He described the conversations as work in progress and positioned them as part of WWE's broader commercial approach.

# Why this matters now

# What Shapiro said about revenue and audience

At the conference, Shapiro addressed a year-over-year decline in sponsorship and advertising revenue but said he expects the company's sponsorship and advertising revenue to finish the year roughly 20% higher than the prior year. He attributed the earlier decrease partly to WWE holding more international events.

He tied the potential Disney events to WWE's strategy for pursuing family viewers, saying advertisers are beginning to notice that WWE's audience includes families. He said he was "excited about 2027" because WWE and Disney are working on special events that would bring their audiences together.

# What's known and what's not

• The discussion is publicly confirmed by Mark Shapiro at a finance/technology conference.
• The target audience for the proposed events is families, matching Disney's core demographic and WWE's stated audience priorities.
• WWE already has a domestic distribution and commercial relationship with Disney via ESPN and ESPN Unlimited.

• Specific event concepts, venues, or whether events would occur on Disney property (for example, theme parks or resort venues).
• Whether these would be live wrestling shows, non-wrestling fan experiences, televised specials, or combinations of formats.
• Financial terms, sponsorship commitments, or an announced rollout plan.

# How this fits with recent WWE moves

Linking with Disney could offer WWE family-friendly programming and cross-promotional opportunities that leverage Disney's global reach and venue network. It would also formalize a deeper marketing and event-level relationship beyond the existing media-rights arrangement.

# What to watch next

# Bottom line

WWE and Disney are in early-stage discussions about special events for 2027 aimed at families. The conversations extend an existing commercial relationship through ESPN and signal WWE's intent to court advertisers and viewers in the family segment, but concrete plans and details have not been released.