AEW could be about to change the way that they deliver their content to fans.
At present All Elite Wrestling has a television deal with Warner Bros. Discovery which airs Dynamite on TBS and Rampage on TNT. Outside of that AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation air on YouTube while the company also hosts our pay-per-view events per year.
However, it has now been reported by Bloomberg that the company are considering launching a streaming service. AEW boss Tony Khan has previously discussed a streaming deal as far back as October 2021.
“In March, Khan acquired the small but respected pro wrestling company Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. for an undisclosed sum, adding a new crop of wrestlers, some intellectual property and an extensive video library. AEW is also considering starting a streaming service, likely through a deal with its broadcast partner, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., according to a person familiar with management’s thinking, who asked not to be named. Last year, AEW broke $100 million in annual revenue for the first time, the person says.”
The report also states that the company earned over $100 million in revenue for the first time in 2022.
AEW’s TV Deal Recently Caused Controversy
AEW’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery was recently a hot topic of conversation after AEW were initially blocked from holding a tribute show for former Ring of Honor star Jay Briscoe. This ban was eventually overturned and Jay’s brother Mark appeared on Dynamite, wrestling Jay Lethal.
2022 was the most controversial year in AEW’s relatively short history. Since the promotion’s launch in 2019, everything had been relatively plain sailing, but that serenity was tipped on its head in 2022. There were numerous reports of backstage unrest, a number of top stars went down with injuries and EVP Cody Rhodes left the company. This was all before CM Punk went on the attack in the post-All Out media scrum, which resulted in a physical altercation backstage.
Punk, who had just won the AEW World Championship, hasn’t featured on AEW television since.