Update On AEW's Relationship With WBD After Netflix Takeover (AEW News)

How Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. may impact AEW.

by Andrew Pollard
Tony Khan ROH AEW
AEW

With Netflix in the process of pushing through the acquisition of Warner Bros., there's now a smidge of an update on the potential ramifications this may have for AEW.

At present, AEW programming airs on the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned TNT and TBS, and streams on HBO Max. WBD's Global Networks division is scheduled to separate into its own publicly-traded Discovery Global company in Q3 of 2026, after which the Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. - including its film and TV studios, HBO, and the HBO Max streaming service - is expected to be completed. Discovery Global will feature "premier entertainment, sports and news television brands", with TNT and TBS amongst those.

Covering this topic over at the Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer noted that Netflix and HBO Max will be kept separate, meaning that it should not impact AEW programming on that streaming service. However, as Meltzer added, "Of course they have to say that now, and that doesn't mean a few years from now that will be the case."

Advertisement

AEW President Tony Khan has also briefly discussed this matter, saying it's "too early to comment on anything that's pending" when asked about the Netflix/WBD acquisition during the ROH Final Battle post-show press conference on Friday, though he did call Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and President David Zaslav a friend of AEW.

Netflix beat out the likes of Paramount Skydance and Comcast for the agreement to acquire Warner Bros. for a mammoth $72 billion, although there are still lingering questions over the potential purchase after US President Donald Trump said the deal "could be a problem".

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.