diff --git a/spring-web-reactive/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfiguration.java b/spring-web-reactive/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfiguration.java
index 740dbcc18a..777157c02f 100644
--- a/spring-web-reactive/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfiguration.java
+++ b/spring-web-reactive/src/main/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfiguration.java
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ import org.springframework.core.convert.support.ReactiveStreamsToCompletableFutu
 import org.springframework.core.convert.support.ReactiveStreamsToRxJava1Converter;
 import org.springframework.format.Formatter;
 import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
+import org.springframework.http.codec.SseEventEncoder;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.reactive.CodecHttpMessageConverter;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.reactive.HttpMessageConverter;
 import org.springframework.http.converter.reactive.ResourceHttpMessageConverter;
@@ -241,6 +242,7 @@ public class WebReactiveConfiguration implements ApplicationContextAware {
 	 * {@link #configureMessageConverters(List)}.
 	 */
 	protected final void addDefaultHttpMessageConverters(List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters) {
+		List<Encoder<?>> sseDataEncoders = new ArrayList<>();
 		converters.add(converter(new ByteBufferEncoder(), new ByteBufferDecoder()));
 		converters.add(converter(new StringEncoder(), new StringDecoder()));
 		converters.add(new ResourceHttpMessageConverter());
@@ -248,9 +250,14 @@ public class WebReactiveConfiguration implements ApplicationContextAware {
 			converters.add(converter(new Jaxb2Encoder(), new Jaxb2Decoder()));
 		}
 		if (jackson2Present) {
-			JsonObjectDecoder objectDecoder = new JsonObjectDecoder();
-			converters.add(converter(new JacksonJsonEncoder(), new JacksonJsonDecoder(objectDecoder)));
+			JacksonJsonEncoder jacksonEncoder = new JacksonJsonEncoder();
+			JacksonJsonDecoder jacksonDecoder = new JacksonJsonDecoder(new JsonObjectDecoder());
+			converters.add(converter(jacksonEncoder, jacksonDecoder));
+			sseDataEncoders.add(jacksonEncoder);
+		} else {
+
 		}
+		converters.add(converter(new SseEventEncoder(sseDataEncoders), null));
 	}
 
 	private static <T> HttpMessageConverter<T> converter(Encoder<T> encoder, Decoder<T> decoder) {
diff --git a/spring-web-reactive/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfigurationTests.java b/spring-web-reactive/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfigurationTests.java
index 0f4e8e32c7..962bd32c85 100644
--- a/spring-web-reactive/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfigurationTests.java
+++ b/spring-web-reactive/src/test/java/org/springframework/web/reactive/config/WebReactiveConfigurationTests.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import javax.xml.bind.annotation.XmlRootElement;
 
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
+import static org.springframework.http.MediaType.*;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Flux;
 import reactor.core.publisher.Mono;
 import rx.Observable;
@@ -139,13 +140,14 @@ public class WebReactiveConfigurationTests {
 		assertNotNull(adapter);
 
 		List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters = adapter.getMessageConverters();
-		assertEquals(5, converters.size());
+		assertEquals(6, converters.size());
 
-		assertHasConverter(converters, ByteBuffer.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, MediaType.TEXT_PLAIN);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, Resource.class, MediaType.IMAGE_PNG);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_XML);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, ByteBuffer.class, APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM, APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, TEXT_PLAIN, TEXT_PLAIN);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, Resource.class, IMAGE_PNG, IMAGE_PNG);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_XML, APPLICATION_XML);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_JSON, APPLICATION_JSON);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, null, MediaType.parseMediaType("text/event-stream"));
 
 		name = "mvcConversionService";
 		ConversionService service = context.getBean(name, ConversionService.class);
@@ -168,8 +170,8 @@ public class WebReactiveConfigurationTests {
 		List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters = adapter.getMessageConverters();
 		assertEquals(2, converters.size());
 
-		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, MediaType.TEXT_PLAIN);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_XML);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, TEXT_PLAIN, TEXT_PLAIN);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_XML, APPLICATION_XML);
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -195,13 +197,14 @@ public class WebReactiveConfigurationTests {
 		assertEquals(0, handler.getOrder());
 
 		List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters = handler.getMessageConverters();
-		assertEquals(5, converters.size());
+		assertEquals(6, converters.size());
 
-		assertHasConverter(converters, ByteBuffer.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, MediaType.TEXT_PLAIN);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, Resource.class, MediaType.IMAGE_PNG);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_XML);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, ByteBuffer.class, APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM, APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, TEXT_PLAIN, TEXT_PLAIN);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, Resource.class, IMAGE_PNG, IMAGE_PNG);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_XML, APPLICATION_XML);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_JSON, APPLICATION_JSON);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, null, MediaType.parseMediaType("text/event-stream"));
 
 		name = "mvcContentTypeResolver";
 		RequestedContentTypeResolver resolver = context.getBean(name, RequestedContentTypeResolver.class);
@@ -219,13 +222,14 @@ public class WebReactiveConfigurationTests {
 		assertEquals(100, handler.getOrder());
 
 		List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters = handler.getMessageConverters();
-		assertEquals(5, converters.size());
+		assertEquals(6, converters.size());
 
-		assertHasConverter(converters, ByteBuffer.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, MediaType.TEXT_PLAIN);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, Resource.class, MediaType.IMAGE_PNG);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_XML);
-		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, ByteBuffer.class, APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM, APPLICATION_OCTET_STREAM);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, String.class, TEXT_PLAIN, TEXT_PLAIN);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, Resource.class, IMAGE_PNG, IMAGE_PNG);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_XML, APPLICATION_XML);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, APPLICATION_JSON, APPLICATION_JSON);
+		assertHasConverter(converters, TestBean.class, null, MediaType.parseMediaType("text/event-stream"));
 
 		name = "mvcContentTypeResolver";
 		RequestedContentTypeResolver resolver = context.getBean(name, RequestedContentTypeResolver.class);
@@ -254,10 +258,12 @@ public class WebReactiveConfigurationTests {
 	}
 
 
-	private void assertHasConverter(List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters, Class<?> clazz, MediaType mediaType) {
+	private void assertHasConverter(List<HttpMessageConverter<?>> converters, Class<?> clazz,
+			MediaType readMediaType, MediaType writeMediaType) {
 		ResolvableType type = ResolvableType.forClass(clazz);
 		assertTrue(converters.stream()
-				.filter(c -> c.canRead(type, mediaType) && c.canWrite(type, mediaType))
+				.filter(c -> (readMediaType == null || c.canRead(type, readMediaType))
+						&& (writeMediaType == null || c.canWrite(type, writeMediaType)))
 				.findAny()
 				.isPresent());
 	}