With all of the focus on the NBA media rights coming up and what, if any, role Warner Bros. Discovery will have moving forward, there is another sports media deal expiring soon that WBD has been working on. Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling, which is now in its fifth year of existence trying to compete with the WWE, are currently in an exclusive window to negotiate with the TNT and TBS parent company, and that window closes in July.
Puck’s Matthew Belloni reports Khan is underwhelmed by the offer currently on the table from WBD. After AEW’s ‘Double or Nothing’ pay-per-view this weekend, Khan was quoted as saying, “I’m happy working for Mr. David Zaslav and I’m hoping we can do it for a long time.”
AEW currently airs five hours of television each week between three shows on TNT and TBS. The Wrestling Observer reports AEW signed a four-year, $175 million contract with WBD in 2020, prior to adding a two-hour Saturday night show.
“It’s a really exciting time for AEW,” Khan told Sports Illustrated earlier this year. “We’re in active negotiations for the AEW media rights. Warner Bros. Discovery continues to be the best possible partner, and they’ve helped us grow this brand. It’s going to be a very exciting remainder to this year, and we’ll find out where AEW is going to live.
“For everyone who cares about AEW all over the world, we’re in a great position. This is going to work out really well for AEW. We’re having great talks, and people should feel very confident about what that means for the wrestlers, the staff, and the fans. As a result of everyone’s hard work and endless support from the fans, there will be a tremendous deal for AEW. The outlook for the company is so bright moving forward.”
