More Details On AEW/WBD Relationship And New Deal

Talk has been stirring up about an impending announcement for a new media rights deal between AEW and WBD, and a report from Fightful Select has revealed more details on why a deal wasn’t agreed to last year, the current relationship between the two sides, and why AEW have been handed some three-hour time slots and overruns.

The report explains that the two sides have had ongoing talks for some time, and that there is an offer already on the table, in addition to AEW & WBD having discussions on Mondays about topics such as creative plans, integrations, and more. The relationship between AEW and WBD looks to still be strong, with WBD pitching cross-promotional material such as the recent House Of The Dragon advertisement on Dynamite. When it comes to the frequent overruns on Dynamite, a WBD source told Fightful that this wouldn’t happen unless they were not confident in the product. There was also no concern over AEW’s drop in viewership on June 19.

When looking ahead to a new TV deal, it was noted that in 2023 it was not an attractive time to be selling TV rights, and that 2024 looked to be a more appropriate time for any announcements. In terms of the future of AEW’s programming, it is noted that it is “no accident” that there have been a variety of time slots and three-hour blocks, with WBD looking at what nights work best for AEW to determine where the product will land on TV.

It was reported recently by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a new deal between AEW and WBD will likely be signed imminently.