AEW Dynamite and Collision to remain on TBS/TNT + Stream on Max starting January 2025

[Smart Marx]

My favorite part of this story is how many times it's been said they can't legally negotiate with anyone else besides WBD and people are still like "why is no one besides WBD interested huh" lmao

The only networks I think that would be better if money is similar are ESPN and Fox probably though

I agree that those would be the channels theoretically, but I would discount Fox having any interest in AEW, but you never can say never though.

And yeah, exactly. They’d have to turn WBD completely down before they can even entertain another offer? And that’s a gamble I wouldn’t be willing to take.

 

[Chris]

I agree that those would be the channels theoretically, but I would discount Fox having any interest in AEW, but you never can say never though.

And yeah, exactly. They’d have to turn WBD completely down before they can even entertain another offer? And that’s a gamble I wouldn’t be willing to take.

I don't think they'd have to turn them down but you run the risk of them pulling their best offer if you say you want to negotiate elsewhere first.

And with Fox, the only reason I give it a slight chance (very slight so not expecting it) is bc AEW will be so much cheaper than SmackDown and they've already seen how much wrestling helps nowadays, they just weren't willing to spend WWE money. But also if they just get stuck on FS1 instead of Fox proper that's a massive downgrade, SmackDown would do less than Dynamite the weeks it switched to it

 

[Cwalker]

My favorite part of this story is how many times it's been said they can't legally negotiate with anyone else besides WBD and people are still like "why is no one besides WBD interested huh" lmao

The only networks I think that would be better if money is similar are ESPN and Fox probably though

And tbh Fox might have had their fill with wrestling after the Smackdown deal

 

[Chris]

Report: Tony Khan disappointed with current WBD offer for AEW TV rights renewal

After months of speculation, there is some new insight into the current AEW/Warner Bros. Discovery TV rights renewal talks: some of which that has AEW head Tony Khan reportedly not thrilled with the…

www.f4wonline.com

As part of his weekly subscriber newsletter, Puck’s Matt Belloni (former of The Hollywood Reporter) reported that WBD head David Zaslav and TNT Sports head Luis Silberwasser want to retain AEW Dynamite, Collision and Rampage.

However, Belloni writes, “…the clock is ticking. I’m told the exclusive window closes in July, and AEW leader Tony Khan is said to be disappointed with the offer currently on the table. Khan also surely knows that Zaz losing the NBA would give AEW more leverage, even though the money to re-up AEW is a mere drop in the NBA bucket. If the window closes without a deal, others could swoop in for those rights, as Comcast has done with the NBA. (Extra awkward because WBD is said to own a stake in the league.)”

He went on to speculate that he’s unsure of how attractive AEW is to other platforms, given only non-WWE partners can be in on potential bidding. He also said AEW provides “reliable programming” and that if Zaslav loses both NBA and AEW TV rights, that could cause more damage in WBD’s deals with cable providers.

 

[Cwalker]

As mentioned, TNT losing the NBA is the best possible thing that could have happened for AEW

 

[Chris]

According to Dave Meltzer, AEW sources have told him that the first offer was not disappointing to Tony Khan, but that the two sides have yet to reach any deal. Negotiations for both TV and streaming are ongoing with WBD and not TNT Sports.

AEW denies disappointment with first WBD TV rights renewal offer

AEW has denied a Monday night report from Puck that the first offer made by WBD toward a new TV rights deal was disappointing. According to Dave Meltzer, AEW sources have told him that the first offer…

www.f4wonline.com

 

[Deezy]

Hope people understand that WBD have exclusive negotiating rights so ofcourse they lowballing them.....go back to the table after July and bring in some other bidders and see what they really worth.

 

[Chris]

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.”

Updates on AEW & WBD TV rights renewal negotiations, potential per year figures

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…

www.f4wonline.com

 

[Chris]

Tony Khan: People in TV would kill for AEW’s numbers

The AEW president was a guest on Wrestling Observer Radio this weekend. During the 90-minute discussion available now for subscribers, Tony Khan told our own Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez that the…

www.f4wonline.com

“In addition to MAX, obviously, a lot of people are talking about Venu Sports. That’s a really unique opportunity,” Khan said of the proposed joint streaming service that would be owned by Disney, Fox, and WBD.

“I think (Venu Sports) could be something we could be part of and it’s a really interesting conversation. That’s a whole new conversation and that’s a new world. There’s a lot of really interesting and exciting things but what’s really cool is I don’t think that Warner Bros has had such a hands-on boss who has overseen a studio like this since Ted Turner was here at TNT and TBS like we have with David (Zaslav). There is a supreme commander at the top of Warner Bros Discovery and he loves AEW and I have a great relationship with him and I think it’s going to go a long way towards really keeping something that is very important to me alive, which is wrestling on TBS, TNT. When we brought it back, I always said this is an American institution, there should be wrestling on these channels.”

“I also had the same great conversations in England with the amazing people at ITV. I really feel that way also about England, there should be wrestling on ITV.”

“That’s a really good thing for the company to have, is the support of the head of the studio, one of the top, most powerful people in Hollywood who loves AEW, loves what we’re doing. And has gotten a look under the hood of AEW also. Very publicly, it’s not a secret, that they’ve also seen what WWE is doing and analyzed it, done the comps, and I think there’s a very glass-half-full story to that which is they stuck with us and they want to be with us. They had a chance to make a deal with someone else and they didn’t.”

“We need to keep doing what we’re doing because the numbers we have are numbers people in TV would kill to have. And I really need to focus on doing good shows for AEW and not about what the competition is doing, I think in this case our competition going out ahead of us and getting good media rights deals was a positive for us and actually good for us because we have very good historical comps, and these comps are very favorable for us. So that’s one thing I’ve done, a ton of market research and retain top analysts and data scientists and looking at this stuff.”

 

[Chris]

“It’s going to be a huge thing. It will mean that all the investment into AEW has more than paid off. It’ll mean a very secure future for AEW for a very long time to come. We’re going to get a great media rights deal. We’re having great conversations here. And we have a great home now at Warner Bros. Discovery, and, you know, I think this is a great home for us. I’m really pleased they want us to stay. They’ve made us great offers and we’re having great conversations now. But, you know, with five hours of wrestling every week and streaming, there’s all kinds of things to talk about. It’s really, really very exciting for the future of AEW.”

“We’re having great conversations with Warner Bros. Discovery. Mr. [David] Zaslav himself has been really great, very engaged. And we’re trying to figure this out. It’s a very complicated thing. It’s a big media rights package, and I’m very excited to keep working — hopefully for a long time — with Warner Bros. Discovery. We’re having a great time here and we have a great relationship with the management. Mr. Zaslav in particular has been fantastic to us.”

 

[Chairman Jay]

Why doesn't TK start his own streaming network. It would save $50 which is a tad much why I stream all wrestling. Every year this one of my critical points with AEW just calm with the ppvs now no more damn I've saved a good few hundred quid by streaming and for my holidays.

 

[Hidden Blaze]

 

[Chairman Jay]

Like the sound of this, do I not!

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Let’s just hope it’s true. Won’t get to excited til an official announcement is made.

 

[Chairman Jay]

It's unknown how much aew will make moving ppv's to streaming if it is a deal. TK don't care he got plenty of $ and his pockets are deep.