In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided some further insight into the financial terms being discussed in the current AEW and WBD TV rights renewal negotiations — ones that would make the company profitable if they can get them.
Meltzer wrote that the per-year figures being discussed “are said to be considerably more than the estimated $110 million per year, or slightly more, that would in theory take the company into profitable range. There is talk of figures being between 50% above (and as much as nearly double) the current number said to be already on the table. The latter figure in particular would open up the potential of tens of millions more annually for talent acquisitions and other expansions in the budget.”
Both sides are still negotiating as of now.
In January 2020, AEW’s existing deal with WBD was extended for four years at $175 million total which included the addition of Rampage. WBD later picked up a one-year extension that will take the relationship through the end of this year. It’s assumed AEW got more money with the addition of Collision last June, but it’s unknown publicly by how much.
The new TV rights negotiations include streaming rights which are currently not available domestically. However, Meltzer stated that the talks are not serious when it comes to an outright purchase of pay-per-view distribution rights like WWE and Peacock with their PLEs or that UFC has with ESPN.
Puck’s Matt Belloni reported this past week that AEW head Tony Khan was disappointed with WBD’s initial offer — a statement that AEW denied on the same day. He also reported the exclusive negotiating window with WBD ends in July with Meltzer reporting that it’s “coming up in several weeks.”
