Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Offers AEW Huge Media Rights Increase
AEW's exclusive negotiation window with Warner Bros. Discovery ended in July.
With 2024 winding down so is AEW's current contract with Warner Bros. Discovery. They have been in constant negotiations for much of this year with AEW President Tony Khan speaking highly of the ongoing relationship between both companies. While some previous reports said AEW were "disappointed" with the offer on the table, Fightful Select is now reporting that sources claim that at one point AEW was offered "at least double" of what their current deal is said to be. While there are no public numbers, that's still a major increase for the young promotion. It is unclear whether or not that number includes the many projects AEW has going or Ring of Honor which Khan currently owns. He previously indicated that they'd been negotiating for ROH to be part of their next deal.
Earlier this month Khan made the media rounds and teased that AEW's most important deal is "imminent." He explained that he believes their relationship is only getting stronger as time passes. With WBD officially losing rights to the NBA, it gives AEW even more leverage to broker a higher deal. They'd obviously be looking to fill that void on TBS but losing AEW would be a punch to the gut as well.
"They really want us here, which is very exciting and we're just working through it. There's a lot to figure out," Khan told ComicBook in July. "We're doing three TV shows, totaling five hours of television per week. I think the quality of Dynamite right now is as good as it's ever been. It's great being here on TBS and TNT. I think there's more possibilities, lots more things we can do together.
In the meantime, AEW is headed back to the U.K. this week for the first-ever AEW Dynamite/Collision in the U.K. as well as the second-ever AEW All In. The overseas reactions to professional wrestling have proven widely successful across the board as fans are chomping at the bit to see more of it. For AEW, while they make not be back in London for AEW All In next year, Khan has talked about further plans to come back.
AEW has a number of stadium shows planned for 2025 including the Tokyo Dome with a special new collaborative pay-per-view featuring multiple companies. There are also reports that AEW may be headed to another popular wrestling destination in 2025, although that has yet to be confirmed.
Stay tuned to ComicBook for news and updates on AEW.
