AEW Close to Wrestling a New Deal With WBD; Could Fox Be Next?
All Elite Wrestling will air on TNT, TBS and truTV under the terms of the new agreement.
Barring a last-minute heel-turn, it appears All Elite Wrestling and Warner Bros. Discovery will continue to do business with each other. That’s according to Puck News' John Ourand, whose sources gave him some initial details on the new deal WBD is expected to sign to keep AEW events on its airwaves for multiple years to come.
Key Details:
- The new AEW deal will be for three guaranteed years, with an option for a fourth.
- The deal will see AEW events air twice a week on TNT, TBS, and truTV.
- AEW is also hoping to land a broadcast deal with Fox to expand its reach.
Ourand reports that the new deal between AEW and WBD will pay the wrestling promotion in the ballpark of $170 million per year. The contract will run for three guaranteed years and will include an option — presumably for WBD to either pick up or decline — for a fourth year of broadcast rights to Shahid and Tony Khan’s league.
The agreement will continue to see AEW shows air on WBD-owned channels twice per week. “AEW: Dynamite” currently airs on Wednesdays on TBS, while TNT offers “AEW: Rampage” and “AEW: Collision” on Saturdays. Ourand reports that truTV will also get AEW wrestling shows in the deal, though whether this will take the form of a simulcast or another arrangement isn’t clear yet.
The reporting does not make mention of whether or not AEW shows will stream on Max. WBD’s flagship streaming service offers AEW titles internationally, but in the United States neither “Rampage” nor “Dynamite” are available to stream on Max as yet. The new deal could still change that, but viewers will just have to wait for more information to emerge.
There was also no further information on what will happen with AEW pay-per-view events under the terms of the new deal. Earlier this summer, AEW announced a deal that made past PPV events available on-demand on TrillerTV, available in pre-selected packages based on the year those events occurred in.
WBD is continuing to seek out new sports deals for its Turner channels, which look likely to lose their programming crown jewel when the NBA leaves for greener pastures after the 2024-25 season. The broadcaster is currently suing the Association to try and retain a package of NBA rights, but most analysts think it has little chance of succeeding.
Ourand’s reporting also indicates that AEW is also seeking to make deals with other channel owners. The wrestling promotion is hoping to land a deal with a broadcast network to expand its reach. Fox lost the WWE's “Smackdown” last week, and AEW is reportedly talking with the network about taking over that Friday evening time slot.
Max
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