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When news, or at least rumors, broke that Warner Brothers Discovery was interested in negotiating with WWE about the media rights for RAW, a decision potentially related to CEO David Zaslav's relationship with former AEW favorite CM Punk, it set the internet wrestling community on fire.
Was Nick Khan and company looking to run their first major competitor in 20 years, AEW, off of the air or at least onto a lesser television channel after establishing a home on TBS and TNT? Would the brand consider having two separate wrestling promotions on the same network, or three if you count the addition of Big Little Brawlers?
Asked about the reported meeting during the Ring of Honor Final Battle media scrum, Tony Khan explained that, at this stage of the game, both AEW and WBD are simply doing their “due diligence,” and as a result, neither party will hold it against the other.
“We've performed incredibly well for Warners Brothers Discovery, and we're a very, very strong relationship,” Tony Khan said via 411 Mania. “I think with media rights and all the things coming up, everyone has to do their due diligence. It's just part of the TV business. But I think where we stand, we stand in a position for AEW to have a huge growth year in 2024. There are a lot of really exciting things happening that I know Warner Brothers is really excited about that we've talked about.”
Khan then went on to explain just how well AEW is doing in television's key demographics, which is a big reason why the promotion is going to be in demand next year, regardless of which network ultimately secures the company's rights.
“We were the number one cable on Wednesday in really what are considered both of the key demographics on TV, which are 18 to 49 and 25 to 54,” Tony Khan noted. “So, it was a great week for AEW. I think we've been putting out some of the best shows we've ever done. Right now, we're on this incredible run. You know, tonight was a great episode of Rampage in addition to the great wrestling here on ROH Final Battle. The last few episodes of Collision have been tremendous, I think some of the best in the history of that show, and also Dynamite has been on a great roll. I think there's so many great things happening in AEW, so it was great to come in and have the number one.”
Could AEW land on another network in 2024? Potentially so, but as TK explained, he feels as though the promotion has done a fantastic job of working with Warner Bros. Discovery and, as a result, will be strongly positioned to earn a new deal with the Burbank-based brand next year.
Tony Khan feels AEW is doing great business for Warner Bros.
Discussing AEW's future media rights further, Tony Khan explained that he feels as though Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision are all doing very well in relation to what Warner Bros. Discovery expects from them, and hopes to continue to produce positive results for the company moving forward.
“In particular, focusing on the Warner Brothers Discovery relationship that you asked about, we've just gone out and crushed it time after time, and this has been a great year for us. And really, All In is the biggest thing we've ever done, and I think it's one of the biggest things anybody's ever done in wrestling. But you have to also look at all the other huge events we've had recently, month after month,” Tony Khan explained.
“You know, All In was a great show, but really since Collision started, I think we've been able to do so much with five hours of television. So this was a big year for us with Warner Brothers Discovery. They came to us and asked us to go from doing three hours of TV a week on TBS and TNT, expanded it to five hours, and that's been very, very successful. Collision did a great audience this past weekend. It's been up the last couple weeks, and also, the shows have been as good as ever, really strong shows. I was really proud in particular the last few weeks, the Continental classic I think has been something really special. So it's a great relationship, and it's going very, very well for us.”
Do fans of other sports, say football, really track media rights negotiations as closely as wrestling fans do, with fans of the Los Angeles Chargers wondering if the Rams are going to land a better postgame programs on a local station? Or is this just solely based on professional wrestling, where WWE and AEW fans have an incredibly antagonistic relationship despite not actually competing against each other in the squared circle? Either way, this is going to be a story until either RAW or AEW signs a new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery or someone else.
