Big Update On AEW's Relationship With TV Network Warner Bros. Discovery
With TV deal renegotiations looming, how does AEW fit into Warner Bros. Discovery's strategy?
Speculation on All Elite Wrestling's televised future continues, with the promotion expected to commence negotiations over a new rights deal in early 2023. AEW's existing partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery earns the promotion $44 million annually. Based on weekly ratings, a healthy increase is expected in AEW's next deal, though Discovery's recent cost-cutting, particularly with original scripted programming, has raised questions.
Deadline recently published a new report on WBD's strategy that made mention of AEW Dynamite's success on Wednesday nights. The show has been one of the top two original cable telecasts for 16 consecutive weeks, with Deadline acknowledging it as a "major draw" for Discovery.
As a result, wrestling could factor into the network's new scripted strategy, though one of its channels, TNT, is "now looking for more cost-effective series that don’t go after A-list movie talent and would complement the tentpole sports/unscripted programming on TNT."
AEW' founder and CEO, Tony Khan, spoke on the promotion's relationship with WBD during a recent appearance on Sporticast. Calling it a "great partnership", he stated that since Discovery's takeover of Warner earlier this year, AEW is enjoying bigger opportunities than ever before (h/t Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online):-
"Our TV deals are, I think, the biggest individual revenue driver and for us, we've got this great partnership with Warner Brothers Discovery and we've got the rest of this year and next year. They have really been so good to us and I feel like not only was the original leadership so great to take a chance on an unknown company, but then post-merger, the Discovery leadership that's come in has been so supportive and we're getting opportunities now with the new management even bigger than we've ever gotten before."
As originally reported by Wrestlenomics, this Wednesday's AEW Dynamite drew an average of 1.175 million viewers on TBS, including 509,000 aged 18-49 for a rating of 0.39. The show comfortably finished first on the night amongst original cable telecasts.