It seems almost crazy to talk about it, but is an AEW TV extension coming soon?
I say crazy because time flies. It seems like just yesterday AEW arrived on the scene…yet I know that is far from true now.
The company is at a point where it’s seen some executives exit upon their contracts expiring. And other talent have re-signed, or probably will soon.
What’s not crazy is saying that the AEW brand is a lot more known now than it was at the onset.
When it began, deals were inked on the promise of competition to WWE, an alternative to RAW and SmackDown that might bring in talent and fans not interested in working for Vince.
In that sense, the brand has largely given fans that desired alternative.
This, plus everything else from the prior few years, makes negotiating television deals a bit more interesting.
Thus far, AEW has had a partnership with Warner Brothers/Discovery, and fans can find content on the MAX streaming app.
So…is an…
AEW TV Extension Coming Soon?
According to Fightful, negotiations are well underway.
So far into things that an announcement could come in the next month or three (read, this summer or fall).
There were a few interesting tidbits in the report.
For one, the relationship with Warner/Discovery is largely what led to the elimination of Dark and Elevation. It was less about having another new show (Collision) and more about wanting AEW exclusive to Warner platforms (which YouTube is not).
But, while AEW is expected to be contractually exclusive to Warner…Ring of Honor is not.
Per the report, this isn’t specific to AEW’s ownership of ROH. This position is something that appears to go back to when Sinclair owned ROH, with the Warner group not interested in the product.
Given that wrinkle, it would seem that any AEW TV extension may not cover Ring Of Honor…and that could provide Tony Khan with some interesting additional opportunities.
