Some major changes could be on the horizon for All Elite Wrestling.
Fightful can confirm via Warner Bros Discovery sources that AEW has long been involved in television rights extension talks. Those that we’ve spoken to said that the conversations have been ongoing for months and they personally believe an announcement could be made this Summer or Fall of a deal reached.
WBD sources tell us they’ve been very happy with AEW, especially the flexibility they’ve provided with adding and subtracting shows, providing different kinds of content, and working around preemptions and network changes.
One of the provisions regarding AEW content and WBD was that AEW content would be exclusive to the WBD brands, which signaled the end of AEW Dark and Elevation on AEW channels. However, we’ve long heard that beyond the PPV integration, WBD hasn’t had much of an interest in ROH branding themselves, and it actually dates back to when Sinclair owned ROH. We haven't heard if that has changed of late.
WBD does have plenty of say and influence over AEW programming, as we’ve seen in the past with crossovers, and talent that are or aren’t featured. However, we’ve been told that AEW has also been really flexible with overruns, as well as other requests WBD has made.
Regarding the broadcast of AEW All In, we’re told that has been actively discussed as a part of these talks.
The WBD source did confirm what we’ve heard in the past, that the deal would be a “huge money increase for AEW, by the way things are looking now.”
Warner Bros Discovery sources confirmed to Fightful Select that one of the major proposals from their end to All Elite Wrestling as it relates to an extension is the subject of PPV (or PLE) events. Specifically, a WBD source told Fightful that they mentioned the very likely possibility of significantly expanding the AEW PPV schedule, even to one a month. We’re told that this is something that Warner Bros. Discovery has wanted.
We aren’t sure on if those would be standalone or included in a MAX streaming deal, as WBD sources would not elaborate on that.
AEW has already expanded their special event schedule, adding Forbidden Door last year, and AEW All In this year. However, there have been no broadcast plans revealed as of yet.
Nothing in the deal is finalized to our knowledge, and this could change, but the expanded schedule has been discussed.
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