Major changes could be on the way for AEW, as they are in “deep” talks with Warner Bros. Discovery to extend their television rights.
According to a new Fightful Select report, AEW has been in TV rights extension talks with WBD for months. If a deal is reached, it is expected that an announcement will be made this summer or fall.
The network has recently been “very happy” with AEW, particularly with the flexibility they have provided in terms of adding and subtracting shows, providing different types of content, and working around preemptions and other network changes.
While WBD has a lot of say and influence over AEW programming, as we’ve seen with crossovers and talent that is or isn’t featured. However, word has it that AEW has been extremely accommodating in terms of overruns and other requests made by the network.
Concerning the AEW All In broadcast from London on August 27, it was noted that this has been actively discussed as part of recent discussions between WBD and AEW. It’s unclear what this means for viewing options, but All In was previously rumored to air on WBD’s Max (HBO Max) streaming service rather than traditional pay-per-view.
According to a WBD source, the next deal between the two parties will be a “huge money increase for AEW, by the way things are looking now.”
AEW and WBD announced a four-year extension of their original TV deal for Dynamite in January 2020. The extension, which included Rampage, called for a total of $175 million, or just under $45 million per year, and included an option for the network to re-sign AEW in 2024, at a significantly higher price. It was expected that AEW and WBD would announce a new TV deal in the spring, but the announcement in mid-May was for the new Collision show, not an extension of the main TV deal. When Collision was announced, AEW President Tony Khan later confirmed that the company did receive a new contract, but it was only for more money to cover the new show and not for more time, and it was not the type of contract that many were expecting. Khan also stated that AEW was “paid very well” for Collision.
It remains to be seen what kind of “huge money increase” AEW will receive for the extension, as well as how long it will last.
