WWE’s programming in the UK officially has a new platform, after the former BT Sport was rebranded to TNT Sports.
The company ended its lengthy UK and Ireland deal with Sky Sports in 2019 after spending decades with the provider. They then signed a deal with BT Sport, who began broadcasting WWE programming in January 2020.
Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of rival promotion AEW’s broadcasters TNT and TBS in the US, acquired BT Sport in April 2022 and announced in February that BT Sport and Eurosport would be merged and rebranded to TNT Sports.
This change means WWE programming is under the same WBD umbrella as rivals AEW, which sees its programming airing on WBD cable stations TNT and TBS in the US. However, AEW’s UK and Ireland programming is currently aired by ITV and ITV4 where the Dynamite, Rampage and Collision shows are housed.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer remarked:
BT Sports, which is the home of WWE in the U.K., was officially relaunched this week with its new name of TNT Sports. So WWE is under contract in the U.K. to WBD until December 2024. TNT Sports is also going to work in the U.K. with Discovery +. TNT Sports in its release mentioned WWE as one of its key properties with the takeover of BT.
What Does This Mean For WWE In The UK?
Currently, there have been no announcements of any changes to regular programming and no changes are expected as WWE is under contract with TNT Sports until December 2024.
It is unknown whether TNT Sports will seek to continue this deal but the WWE programming is a lucrative asset for the television company so it would stand to reason that they may look to extend the deal.