Why is AEW Moving to TBS?

AEW and WarnerMedia dropped two massive pieces of news on Wednesday — that AEW will be launching a second show, AEW Rampage, on Friday nights in August, and that both Rampage and AEW Dynamite will be moving from TNT to TBS beginning in January 2022. Brett Weitz, general manager of TNT, TBS and truTV, hosted a media conference call on Wednesday and was asked what prompted the move, as AEW had called TNT home since it first arrived on television in October 2019. Weitz confirmed that Turner Sports' new deal with the National Hockey League played a factor in the decision.

"...More wrestling is a good thing, especially for the consumer. So we couldn't be more excited about having more wrestling on TBS," Weitz said. "As Tony Khan said in his quote, both TBS and TNT have an incredibly storied past with wrestling, so the idea of us being able to put more AEW onto TBS was a natural fit. The obvious idea for me to able to program these networks as a portfolio gives me the latitude to put them where it makes the most sense for the consumer.

"Did the NHL have anything to do with it? Sure, NHL had something to do with it," he continued. "The NBA had something to do with it, the new COVID schedule, a ton of pre-emptions. And so when we looked to where we believe the consumer is going to be and where wrestling fans are going to be, we want to give them the most opportunity to consume as many shows as possible, we felt that TBS had an opportunity to really be the network and the best platform for expansion."

Weitz also confirmed that Dynamite will be remaining on Wednesday nights when the jump to TBS takes place. Rampage will premiere on Tuesday nights, but its weekly slot on TBS is still being determined.

"As a lifelong wrestling aficionado who is privileged to present AEW to longtime and new fans alike, it
means a lot to me — personally and professionally — to share the news that All Elite Wrestling will call TBS home beginning in 2022," AEW president Tony Khan explained in the initial press release. "The history of wrestling in the United States cannot be told without acknowledging the contributions of TBS, which as WTBS years ago delivered wrestling to the Southeast and eventually to a massive national audience. TBS has the same passion for wrestling today, but will offer AEW and our fans more prime time programming, content and global opportunities that will establish TBS as the world's undisputed destination for wrestling.

"And, while we're looking forward to our arrival on TBS, we're not saying goodbye to our original and
current home of TNT, which will air four new special supercard events annually," he continued. "Plus, the financial upside to our new agreement will give us the opportunity to continue to invest in and grow AEW to serve the most important people in our industry: our fans, our wrestlers, our staff and our sponsors. With All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite and Rampage taking center stage via our new agreement on TBS next year, and the new quarterly supercards launching on TNT, our exposure and our opportunities to grow AEW are greater than ever!"

Regarding the TNT supercards, Weitz added that more details regarding the four specials will be coming soon.