WWE’s new partnership with Bleacher Report reportedly has no impact on AEW’s existing media rights agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery.
As previously reported, WWE and Bleacher Report have reached a multi-year global content partnership that will bring WWE highlights, original programming and on-site Premium Live Event coverage to Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and B/R Wrestling.
With Bleacher Report operating under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella, the announcement naturally raised questions about whether the WWE partnership could have any implications for AEW.
According to a Warner Bros. Discovery source, however, the two agreements are separate.
The WWE partnership with Bleacher Report falls under the TNT Sports division and does not impact AEW’s current agreement with WBD.
Bleacher Report already maintains relationships with a number of competing sports and entertainment properties, while WWE content has been covered on the platform for years. The new agreement expands that relationship rather than replacing or altering WBD’s existing partnership with AEW.
There is also an important distinction between the rights covered by the two agreements.
AEW’s current multi-platform deal with Warner Bros. Discovery covers the United States and runs through 2027, with an option for 2028.
WWE’s new Bleacher Report partnership, meanwhile, covers global rights.
Under the WWE agreement, Bleacher Report holds worldwide highlight rights across Raw, SmackDown, NXT and WWE Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania.
Bleacher Report and House of Highlights will also have an on-site presence at select WWE Premium Live Events to produce original and behind-the-scenes content.
The expanded WWE coverage is scheduled to begin ahead of Money in the Bank on October 10.
