ESPN upset with Stephanie McMahon for recommending VPN use to watch WWE

The most recent episode of the What's Your Story? podcast by Stephanie McMahon has caused some discomfort within ESPN. According to a report by Fightful in the last few hours, during a Q&A session on their paid channel on Patreon, at least one source close to the sports network "was not happy" with a comment about the use of VPNs made by McMahon during the broadcast.

The moment occurred during her interview with Roman Reigns, when Stephanie suggested fans use a VPN to access the international catalog of Netflix, which includes WWE's Premium Live Events. Although it seemed like a simple advertisement, the recommendation caught attention for indirectly encouraging bypassing the ESPN system in the United States.

At least one source we spoke to at ESPN was not very thrilled about the VPN ad read on Stephanie McMahon's podcast. They didn't think it would be a big issue.

Fans in the U.S. would need to pay a $30 monthly subscription to ESPN to watch the PLE, in addition to having Netflix for weekly programming. In contrast, in markets like the UK, LATAM, or Spain, all WWE content is integrated into Netflix at no extra cost. McMahon's "trick" did not sit well with ESPN, which recently signed an exclusive agreement for live event broadcasts.

The source cited by Fightful acknowledged that they do not expect it to become a "major problem," but admitted that the situation is uncomfortable during the expansion phase of the WWE-ESPN alliance.