AEW Denies Tony Khan "Disappointed" At WBD Offer In TV Rights Talks (UPDATED)

AEW founder and CEO Tony Khan is reportedly "disappointed" with Warner Bros. Discovery's current offer to renew its broadcasting deal with the wrestling promotion.

This is according to Puck's Matthew Belloni, who has ties to WWE President Nick Khan, having hosted multiple podcasts with Nick as his guest in the past.

Belloni writes that WBD CEO David Zaslav and Luis Silverwasser, Chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, would like to retain AEW's rights (AEW Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage currently account for five hours of programming on the WBD-owned TNT and TBS). Despite this, with the WBD/AEW exclusivity window closing soon, Tony Khan is, according to Belloni, "disappointed" with the latest offer.

Per Belloni:

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.)

That WBD holds an AEW ownership stake has never been firmly confirmed nor denied. In September 2023, when asked directly about the matter, Khan largely talked around the rumour, stating that in a future deal, he may be open to "Warner Brothers having a piece or a bigger piece, potentially."

I believe WBD owns a minority, non-controlling, possibly non-voting ownership stake in AEW.

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On the Sep 26, 2023 media call, Tony Khan was asked directly about WBD ownership and responded ambiguously. He didn't directly confirm or deny whether WBD owns a stake. He alluded to the… https://t.co/EWyKFlK6TWpic.twitter.com/OAJXOy4B6W

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In his analysis, Belloni questioned AEW's allure to other platforms, but called the company's programming "reliable":

I’m not sure how alluring AEW would be to another platform, especially since only non-WWE partners could bid. But the wrestling shows still do okay on the Turner networks, it’s reliable programming, and a rival suitor could further push Zaslav into hot water in his cable carriage deals

"Okay" may not be the best term for Dynamite in particular, which regularly finished amongst the top three cable shows on Wednesday nights. Nonetheless, while words like "disappointed" may instil doom and gloom in some, Belloni's scenario isn't necessarily a negative for AEW. WBD is unlikely to want to lose a property that frequently performs well relative to its timeslots, and programming that is typically amongst the network's top performers. Khan's "disappointed" stance may prompt the network to up its offer ahead of the exclusivity window.

Last week, Khan told SI's Justin Barrasso that AEW's talks with WBD have been "great", and he is confident of a positive outcome and a "tremendous deal":

It’s a really exciting time for AEW. We’re in active negotiations for the AEW media rights. Warner Bros. Discovery continues to be the best possible partner, and they’ve helped us grow this brand. It’s going to be a very exciting remainder to this year, and we’ll find out where AEW is going to live. For everyone who cares about AEW all over the world, we’re in a great position. This is going to work out really well for AEW. We’re having great talks, and people should feel very confident about what that means for the wrestlers, the staff, and the fans. As a result of everyone’s hard work and endless support from the fans, there will be a tremendous deal for AEW. The outlook for the company is so bright moving forward.

AEW's existing deal with WBD expires towards the end of 2024.