On Thursday, February 9th, AEW and ESPN announced a groundbreaking partnership that will see AEW Dynamite, Rampage, and pay-per-views available to ESPN subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.
This deal which begins on February 16th marks the first broadcast agreement between AEW and the region, as well as ESPN’s first foray into partnering with a professional wrestling organisation.
Through the ESPN networks, fans in the region will be able to watch same-day replays of both Dynamite and Rampage, as well as on-demand content and access pay-per-view events like Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out, and Full Gear.
The ESPN networks are accessible through Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, and SKY NZ in the specified countries, which include Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Northern Marianas, Tokelau, Tahiti, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and Wallis and Futuna.
You can find the full press release from AEW below.
ESPN to Broadcast All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Exclusively in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands pic.twitter.com/wFDyIOviX4
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 10, 2023
Interestingly, WWE also has a broadcast agreement with Foxtel in the region.
AEW Expecting More Lucrative TV Deals
Following the recent announcement of a deal with DAZN and with Tony Khan expecting a “lucrative deal” for AEW’s future television rights fees, this is another major milestone for AEW and will provide fans with unprecedented access to the company’s flagship shows. It also strengthens the relationship between AEW and ESPN and shows a commitment to making pro wrestling more accessible to the region.
Both AEW and WWE will soon be negotiating new television deals in the United States for their existing programming. However, despite the claims from Khan, it was reported that the deals may not include the huge increases that many expected. The report from January stated that with viewing figures across cable television falling, it would be more difficult to secure larger rights fees.