ESPN and its streaming technology subsidiary BAMTech have officially been added as defendants in the class action lawsuit over WWE’s move to ESPN Unlimited.
The U.S. District Court in Connecticut granted ESPN and BAMTech’s motion to intervene on September 18, adding both companies to the lawsuit originally filed against WWE by Michael Diesa and Rebecca Toback.
The case alleges WWE’s promotion of its ESPN agreement misled some customers into believing they would receive access to WWE premium live events through their existing ESPN cable or streaming subscriptions without an additional charge.
Some television providers had agreements in place allowing subscribers to authenticate through the ESPN app when WWE programming moved to the service with WrestlePalooza 2025. Customers with other providers, however, were required to purchase ESPN’s $29.99-per-month streaming service separately.
ESPN and BAMTech have argued that the dispute should be sent to arbitration because the plaintiffs subscribed to ESPN Unlimited and therefore agreed to Disney/ESPN’s terms of service. WWE has made a similar argument.
With ESPN and BAMTech now formally part of the case, the arbitration issue is expected to become a key matter before the court.
The proposed class covers certain U.S. customers who paid for the ESPN app between August 6 and September 20, 2025 despite already paying for ESPN through a cable provider or live television streaming service.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages and other relief and have requested a jury trial.
