There had been discussions about AEW All In becoming a streaming special, with Warner Bros. Discovery’s MAX being the most likely platform. However, the idea was never pursued, and All In ultimately aired on the standard pay-per-view providers.
In an update, the Wrestling Observer reports that AEW hoped All In would air on MAX, but it ended up on pay-per-view because “the technology was not ready” when the decision had to be made. This information comes from sources other than AEW.
The technology is thought to be ready now, but there’s no word on what the first AEW show on MAX will be. It was noted that a financial agreement still needs to be worked out because All In was a big pay-per-view success, and it doesn’t make much sense for AEW to put a show on MAX that would be another big pay-per-view success unless WBD makes it economically viable.
WBD will begin airing live sports on MAX later this year for a limited time and at no additional cost to MAX subscribers, according to Bloomberg. Customers will then have to pay an additional fee for sports beginning in 2024, most likely in February or March. Basketball, baseball, and hockey will be shown in the hopes of attracting new customers, but pro wrestling was not mentioned.
It’s possible that AEW will be involved, but the network hasn’t made these plans public yet. At the end of June, WBD had nearly 96 million global subscribers to its streaming services. MAX currently costs $10 per month for an ad-supported version and $16 per month for a commercial-free plan. MAX subscribers have access to HBO and Warner Bros.’ entire library of movies and TV shows, but they must still pay for cable TV to watch live sports.
WBD currently broadcasts the March Madness college basketball tournament on its cable networks and is considering using the games as a selling point for MAX. WBD owns media rights to some of the most popular sports, including the NBA and MLB, and according to Bloomberg, the company is only now figuring out how to use these rights to benefit its nascent streaming business. WBD has been in talks with major sports leagues to secure the rights to stream them, but it is unclear whether pro wrestling will be involved.
