Tag: AEW TV Rights Deal

The Latest: AEW-WBD media rights deal update, Cody Rhodes & WWE Bad Blood

Posted on by Denise Salcedo


Welcome to another episode of The Latest with Denise Salcedo breaking down the biggest wrestling news headlines of the week so far.

Topics:

—Update on value of new AEW-WBD media rights deal

—Shelton Benjamin debuts on AEW Dynamite

—Jay White returns on AEW Dynamite, lays out Hangman Page

—WWE NXT averages nearly 900k viewers for CW premiere

—Cora Jade returns to WWE NXT on CW premiere

—Trick Williams crowned NXT Champion on CW premiere

—Cody Rhodes says ‘title implications’ for WWE Crown Jewel to be revealed at Bad Blood

—Seth Rollins returns on WWE Raw, attacks Bronson Reed

—Ilja Dragunov sidelined with torn ACL

AEW, WBD officially announce multi-year TV rights renewal

Posted on by Josh Nason

After months of speculation, AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery officially announced a multi-year renewal on Wednesday afternoon that will keep Dynamite and Collision on TBS and TNT, respectively, in addition to a streaming component on Max.

The number of years and the amount AEW will receive was not announced, but Variety reported that the deal is valued at upward of $150 million per year. What that amount covers is also unclear as of now.

Previous reporting by Puck’s John Ourand had a deal at three guaranteed years with an option for a fourth at a “ballpark” of $170 million annually. His report also included TruTV being included in the mix, but that was not mentioned in any reporting Wednesday.

SportsBusinessJournal reported after Wednesday’s announcement that the deal is “estimated to be valued at $170M total including the rights fee and other elements.”

Here are the highlights, first reported by The Wrap:

  • Dynamite and Collision will remain in their current homes and networks on both Wednesday and Saturday, respectively
  • Both Dynamite and Collision will stream live on Max for U.S. subscribers starting in 2025
  • AEW content that airs on any WBD network will also be available to stream on Max on-demand. How far back that content will go was not announced
  • Starting “later in 2025,” AEW and WBD will offer live PPVs on Max at a “discounted price per event” with all marketing and promotions of those PPV events exclusively centered on Max.
  • The new deal includes “enhanced distribution rights across social media as well as potential new AEW programming on linear and digital platforms.”

Neither Rampage or the quarterly Battle of the Belts specials were mentioned in either story, leaving the future of those properties unknown for now.

Since their launch in 2019, AEW has been exclusive to WBD which began with Dynamite and then expanded to Rampage, the quarterly Battle of the Belts series, and then, Collision last year.

This post will continue to be updated as we get more information.

Swerve Strickland says AEW is ‘about to get on Fox’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Swerve Strickland says AEW is heading to Fox.

In an interview on the QUEENZFLIP YouTube channel, Swerve said that with SmackDown leaving Fox recently, AEW would not only work with Warner Bros. Discovery but also Fox.

“We’re about to move,” he said. “We’re about to get on Fox. SmackDown is leaving Fox. And then we’re taking Fox…TNT, TBS, and Fox. We got all three of them things. Tony Khan lets me do whatever the f*** I want. He owns the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

AEW is nearing finishing its new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, with its previous deal expiring at the end of the year. They have also trademarked the term ‘AEW Shockwave’ recently, with speculation being it could be a new television show. Dave Meltzer earlier this month reported that while AEW and Fox are in talks, the potential new show may not be on the Fox Network, perhaps airing on a different Fox-owned channel such as FS1.

At the All Out media scrum earlier this month, Tony Khan said there was a 90% chance we could see AEW’s media rights deal with WBD become official in the next month.

Tony Khan: I don’t understand why WWE PR calls people & talks about my business

Posted on by Josh Nason

On Thursday’s Ring of Honor media call, Tony Khan said he was told WWE’s public relations department is telling others that his new TV rights deal is done and is along the same lines as his previous one with WBD.

After answering a question about whether a deal was done, Khan opened up about a claim from a “major member of the wrestling media” he directly heard Wednesday that his deal with WBD is done.

“I don’t know why WWE is telling people about our media rights deal. I don’t know whether it’s any of their business. I don’t really understand why WWE PR calls people and talks about my business. WWE PR is telling people that the deal is done and that the deal is done at the same level that it was going to be our previous deal. That’s not the case,” he said.

He kept going, adding, “It’s none of their business. I think WWE PR really gets involved in a lot of things they shouldn’t get involved in. I can tell you that is very untrue. When we make a deal for AEW, it’s going to be a great deal with a big increase over what we’ve been doing. We’re in a really good position and have been doing great business here despite what they’re trying to do to us.”

Earlier on the call, Khan said he feels that if he held a five or six match card like other companies do, he would be criticized for it and that he is more criticized than most for any decision that he makes.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Is AEW’s next TV rights deal really in the red zone?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio going over the big stories in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Dave and I talked about the following:

  • AEW Dynamite’s TV rating based on the MJF vs. Will Ospreay match
  • The latest on AEW TV rights
  • WBD’s matching rights decision with the NBA
  • Cody Rhodes’ comments about AEW
  • Janel Grant’s medical records and the celebrity doctor she saw
  • Seth Rollins rumored as a guest referee at WWE SummerSlam
  • WWE cutting back on house shows
  • More on Lenita Erickson and the death of WCW

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)

AEW denies disappointment with first WBD TV rights renewal offer

Posted on by Josh Nason

AEW has denied a Monday night report from Puck that the first offer made by WBD toward a new TV rights deal was disappointing.

According to Dave Meltzer, AEW sources have told him that the first offer was not disappointing to Tony Khan, but that the two sides have yet to reach any deal. Negotiations for both TV and streaming are ongoing with WBD and not TNT Sports.

The Puck report from longtime Hollywood insider Matt Belloni stated that his sources indicated Khan was disappointed with WBD’s first offer and that the exclusive negotiating window between both sides was coming up in July. He also reported that both WBD head David Zaslav and TNT Sports head Luis Silberwasser want to keep all three AEW shows.

After the reporting came out, it was pointed out by some online that Belloni is longtime friends with WWE CEO Nick Khan and that Belloni has had Khan on his podcast before, leading some to believe it was a planted piece. WWE met with WBD during their TV rights negotiations which Tony Khan said was “part of sports” when asked about it.

The current AEW/WBD deal is believed to expire at the end of this year.

Tony Khan ROH media call: CM Punk, AEW releases, WBD TV rights update

Posted on by Josh Nason

On the most newsworthy week of the wrestling year, AEW & Ring of Honor head Tony Khan had a lot of questions to answer on a Thursday media call designed to promote Friday’s Supercard of Honor — the audio of which can be heard below.

At the jump, Khan was asked about CM Punk’s critical comments of Khan’s leadership and of his AEW experience as a whole, but declined to answer. It was the only related question he got in the near-hourlong call.

Khan was also asked about Tuesday’s AEW releases given he had previously stated a difference with his companies were that he would honor deals until the end. 

Khan said you have to make tough calls sometimes and that he plans to be very aggressive with going after top talent in an continued expansion effort. In order to do so, he said he needs “a war chest and to keep an eye on the budget.”

He then revealed that after thinking about the situation, Anthony Henry will return when he has healed up from a broken jaw. However, he also revealed that The Boys (Brandon & Brent Tate) were cut due to missing repeated shows — something that was known in the locker room.

Here’s some other notes:

  • When asked about when the exclusive domestic TV rights negotiating window with Warner Bros Discovery is up, Khan declined to provide the date saying it was soon but that he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble by answering.
  • Khan said some AEW/ROH talents are on tiered deals and some are on per appearance deals.
  • A few more matches for the Zero Hour for Supercard of Honor have yet to be announced.
  • He said it’s been “a lot easier” to work with Stardom now that Rossy Ogawa is gone, and is very happy about the changes Bushiroad made.

Click Here to Listen (no sub needed)