Future of AEW Programming Remains Uncertain
Summary
– Tony Khan is disappointed with the TV deal that Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) offers.
– The exclusive negotiation window with WBD closes in July.
– AEW could gain leverage if WBD loses NBA rights, opening the door for other bidders.
Under Tony Khan’s leadership, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has developed a significant partnership with Warner Bros Discovery for its programming. This collaboration has led to airing popular AEW shows such as Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision. Despite the strong partnership, Khan is reportedly disappointed with the current TV deal offer from WBD.
Warner Bros Discovery has been the home of AEW, which resulted in the discontinuation of AEW Dark on YouTube to focus on the television content. Khan confirmed that serious negotiations with WBD would begin, with the exclusive negotiation window set to end soon.
According to Matthew Belloni of Puck News, WBD CEO David Zaslav and TNT Sports head Luis Silberwasser are eager to retain the five hours of AEW programming per week on TNT and TBS. However, the exclusive negotiating window is set to close in July, and Khan is unsatisfied with the offer.
Khan likely understands that if WBD loses the NBA, AEW could gain more leverage in negotiations despite the much smaller financial scale of AEW compared to the NBA. If the window closes without an agreement, other entities, such as Comcast, could bid for the rights, adding complexity to the situation given WBD’s stake in the NBA.
“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),” Belloni noted.
The attractiveness of AEW to another platform remains to be determined, especially since only non-WWE partners could place bids. However, AEW’s programming performs reliably on the Turner networks, and a competing suitor could further complicate Zaslav’s cable carriage negotiations.
As talks progress, the timing of AEW and Warner Bros Discovery’s agreement remains uncertain. Securing a deal with WBD would be a significant milestone for Tony Khan’s company, but there is no guarantee that it will happen.
