AEW & Warner Bros. Discovery Fail To Reach Agreement On New TV & PPV Rights Deal

For most of the year, All Elite Wrestling and Warner Bros. Discovery are believed to have been in talks over a new broadcast deal, with the two sides looking to come to terms on a renewed working relationship.

However, per a new report from Fightful Select, the two sides have failed to reach an agreement on a new deal.

Speculation had mounted that Tony Khan’s latest ‘important announcement’ on the November 1 edition of Dynamite could pertain to a new TV, PPV, and possibly streaming rights deal, but was instead an announcement about ticket sales for All In 2024. 

WBD sources told Fightful that moves made by NBCUniversal could affect things, with the media conglomerate recently winning the rights to show WWE SmackDown from October 2024. NBCU and USA are also believed to be in the running to bid on NBA broadcast rights - a staple of WBD’s TNT for years. If TNT were somehow to lose NBA coverage then their budget would be affected, with AEW Rampage currently part of the network’s weekend line-up.

As of several weeks ago, talks between AEW and WBD had failed to reach an agreement, with the TV, PPV, and AEW media library believed to be on the table. Fightful’s report indicated that Tony Khan has a particular value in mind when it comes to the media library.

AEW’s TV output has grown over the past 12 months, with Collision launched on Saturday nights, whilst their pay-per-view output has also increased, with AEW believed to be adopting a monthly PPV model going forward - allegedly at WBD’s behest. AEW’s TV ratings figures have declined over the course of 2023, but a source in WBD that these numbers aren’t anything the company hadn’t anticipated, especially with NFL season in full swing.

Those within WBD have been ‘very happy’ with the partnership with AEW, and hope it will continue.