Tony Khan discusses recent 3 hour programming blocks, potentially added more content

[Chris]

Tony Khan talks potentially expanding AEW Dynamite to three hours: 'You want to keep it as strong as possible'

Khan also addresses AEW's live attendance and the need for a challenger brand

www.cbssports.com

AEW currently produces five hours of AEW programming every week. It's the growth Khan is most proud of after launching the company in 2019 with one pay-per-view and no TV shows. AEW Dynamite, Collision and Rampage are generally spread across three nights, but the company has recently coupled some of their shows to accommodate the NBA and NHL Playoffs. For example, the company aired a three-hour block on May 11 with Collision leading directly into Rampage -- in terms of scheduling and storytelling.

"I love being able to do more follow-up with things that happened earlier in the night with more time," Khan told CBS Sports. "Being able to cover more wrestlers and tell more stories, utilize more of the roster. I think it gives more opportunities when we have that three-hour block."

Consecutive programming allows AEW not only to tie story beats from one show to another -- such as how the May 11 episode of Rampage started with a post-match segment between Adam Copeland and Kyle O'Reilly following their Collision main event -- but also more flexibility to pivot on the fly. A bloodied Will Ospreay filmed a passionate promo after being attacked by his rivals on AEW Dynamite. It was an unplanned moment that Khan would have incorporated into that evening's programming with more time.

"If I had seen that I would have moved stuff around later in the third-hour block to get that on TV the same night," Khan said. "Those are the things you can do when you get really good footage and have more time to play with. There are all kinds of opportunities it creates to follow up. I've really enjoyed it."

"You want to keep Dynamite as strong as possible," Khan said. "You look at the history of what happened with the two-hour wrestling show when that show was expanded to three hours. It's interesting right now per hour the most we get per hour for any of our TV shows is Dynamite. Either way, five-hour weekly programming is the absolute minimum.

"So in some ways, you would say, 'That would be a very lucrative opportunity.' I think it's a very interesting conversation to have about how many nights a week you allocate to programming. Is five hours the best? Should we do six?"

Khan hasn't settled on a long-term plan for how AEW shows are spaced out but he is confident there is no turning back.

"I want to do at least five now," Khan said. "I've tasted blood and want more so I could easily be sold on doing more than five hours of programming..."

 

[Roy Mustang]

I know it is coming but I hate 3 hours for a weekly show. One off specials it works but I stand by 3 hours is too much for a weekly show imo and I say this as someone who loves the long PPVs