Media Acquisition Deal With Potentially HUGE Ramifications For AEW On The Table (AEW News)
Paramount Skydance wants to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. That could impact AEW.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Paramount Skydance is preparing a bid to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery. In theory, this could have huge ramifications for Tony Khan and AEW. Why? Well, Paramount is the new media partner of TKO's UFC brand, which is obviously under the same corporate umbrella as WWE.
Meanwhile, WBD is AEW's current media partner.
Khan gleefully announced that AEW had inked a deal to keep shows like Dynamite and Collision on television whilst also bringing that programming to WBD’s Max streaming service last year. That deal reportedly offered $150m in revenue each year until 2028. At the time, Tony told The Hollywood Reporter that this was the "biggest day in AEW’s history".
So, could things change if Warner Bros. Discovery sells to Paramount Skydance? In short, yes. Paramount's ties to TKO/WWE could spell trouble for Khan and AEW longer term, and it causes a fair amount of uncertainty over programming like Dynamite, Collision and All Elite pay-per-views.
Speaking of which, AEW presents its latest PPV on 20 September when All Out 2025 beams live from Toronto, Canada. Tony and other members of upper management will want to give that show their full attention, but this lurking story of a possibly imminent WBD sale must be living rent free in their heads right now.
It's understood that Paramount Skydance plans to make a cash bid for WBD, and that they're making a play for both the group's movie studio and cable networks as a package. As AEW content falls under the WBD banner on TBS, TNT and HBO Max, there must be some concerned glances around the place amongst Khan and other key figures.