In a move that has been expected for quite some time, Warner Brothers Discovery (WBD) — the primary media partner of AEW — has officially put itself up for sale.
It revealed the news in a Tuesday press release, saying they are doing “a review of strategic alternatives to maximize shareholder value” which is another way of saying they are looking to be sold.
Their previously announced June 2025 plan to split up their various broadcast entities and other properties into two separate publicly traded companies by mid-2026 is still ongoing as the potential sales process proceeds.
AEW is in year one of their current WBD TV contract that runs through 2027 with an option for 2028 that sees the weekly Dynamite and Collision shows on TBS/TNT simulcast on HBO Max, and the AEW content archives available on HBO Max. That deal also includes AEW PPVs available at a discount for HBO Max subscribers in addition to the new Tailgate Brawl PPV pre-shows that are also simulcast on TNT.
In the release, WBD mentioned they had “unsolicited interest” from multiple companies for both the entire WBD company and WBD alone. One of those players is believed to Paramount/Skydance in a story that began brewing in mid-September with a story floating last week that WBD turned down a “lowball offer.” As of this January, Paramount/Skydance will be partners on a seven-year UFC (TKO) media rights deal.
WWE media partner Netflix was also rumored to be involved until their co-CEO threw some cold water on those rumors.
