TNA Seeking New Media Rights Deal, Wants 52 Weeks Of Live Programming (TNA News)
WWE wants TNA to succeed. Meanwhile, company chiefs want stable TV/streaming deal ASAP.
The Wrestling Observer reports that Anthem Sports Group president Carlos Silva recently told JohnWallStreet.com all about ongoing TNA media rights plans. According to Silva, the company is looking for a stable and sustainable rights deal that'd enable them to beam live 52 weeks per year - that, Carlos says, is something that really "matters" in "today's world".
It's a good point.
Silva also revealed that TNA routinely pulls "around 100,000 household viewers" whenever they go live in 2025. Ideally, if they're on a bigger platform weekly, he reckons the promotion's content could reach as many as "between 250,000–500,000" homes. That's what TNA wants to shoot for, and it seems WWE want the group to do well too.
Of course, TNA and WWE are partners, but Dave Meltzer said in January on Wrestling Observer Radio that he believes it's only a matter of time before WWE owns Total Nonstop Action outright. That'd be a head trip for anybody who remembers when the promotions were rivals. In 2010, TNA tried to go head to head with Monday Night Raw. It was a failed experiment, but it did show how much headway the company had gained since launching in 2002.
Silva told JohnWallStreet.com that TNA will target around $10m for the rights fees annually. He also put across just how beneficial the relationship with WWE has been. TNA stars, titles and other assets are regularly touted "on every major WWE and NXT platform. PLEs as well as weekly programming on The CW and their other [broadcast] outlets like Peacock".
Now, TNA plans to use WWE's boost as a platform to get live programming 52 weeks per year.
Check out our exclusive interview with TNA star Harley Hudson below. Wrestling fans in the UK can currently grab a free month of TNA+ by using the code: BRITISHBABE.