A new report has surfaced regarding a potential WBD sale and what this means for the future of AEW.
AEW’s broadcast partner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is currently up for sale, with several major media companies in the mix to acquire it. WBD has reportedly turned down multiple offers from leading bidder Paramount Skydance, while Netflix and NBCUniversal/Comcast are also said to be exploring potential bids.
During Fightful Select Answers Q&A, it was noted that Paramount remains the most likely candidate to acquire WBD. AEW has a strong relationship with WBD and continues to perform well relative to the cost of its current deal, both in linear ratings and streaming viewership.
AEW signed a new multi-year media rights agreement with WBD roughly a year ago. Under the deal, TBS and TNT remain the homes of Dynamite and Collision, respectively, with both shows now also simulcasting on HBO Max.
Also, AEW pay-per-view events became available on HBO Max in September with All Out Toronto. The agreement is reportedly worth “upwards of $150 million per year” when factoring in all aspects of the partnership.
The site also noted that Netflix does acquire WBD, AEW’s current contract would likely remain intact. Netflix is notably the streaming home of Monday Night Raw in the U.S. and is the streaming home of all of WWE’s content, including weekly shows and PLEs, internationally.
According to Sean, he does not think WWE would leave a trail of the promotion attempting to get Netflix to drop AEW, especially given the company’s recent settlement with MLW, which had accused WWE of anti-competitive behavior in a lawsuit resolved in December 2023.
CNBC reported this week that WBD is expected to make a public announcement regarding its future by the middle or end of December.
