In a segment on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, pro wrestler R-Truth did his best to educate the company’s fanbase about Saturday night’s debut on the ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming service.
“What if I’ve already got ESPN with my cable?” WWE superstar Angel Garza asked R-Truth.
“If you’ve already got ESPN with your cable, you do your cable log-in, and you set, dog. It’s right in the app,” R-Truth replied. “See, most big providers already got that taken care of. So you go in and you watch it.”
“Most” would prove to be the operative word.
While multiple cable services do offer the ability to log into ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service via authentication, there are still some major providers that don’t. As of Saturday, that includes Comcast, YouTube TV, Cox and Sling TV, with subscribers to those platforms required to pay the $29.99 monthly price in order to access the ESPN Unlimited package to watch Saturday’s Wrestlepalooza Premium Live Event.
For some, this wasn’t surprising, as it had been known since ESPN’s partnership with WWE was first announced in August that there were still some cable providers without deals in place to allow authentication. But many viewers stil found themselves caught off-guard by not having access to the ESPN app via their cable providers and took to social media to express their frustration regarding the confusing nature of the communication.
The good news for WWE fans: ESPN executives said earlier this week that they anticipate this issue will be a temporary one, with deals including authentication to the DTC app for the “vast majority” of major cable providers currently without access expected to be completed by the end of this year. Still, the frustration for many fans is understandable, as it would be tough to argue that the reality of the current situation was properly communicated in the leadup to Saturday’s show.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.