After months of negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery, AEW has hit the open market.
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp (subscription required), AEW’s exclusive negotiating window with WBD officially ended earlier this week. Fightful also reported that AEW owner and president Tony Khan and WBD CEO David Zaslav will meet at the Olympics in Paris in the coming days.
It’s somewhat surprising that the pro wrestling promotion and media conglomerate made it out of their exclusive negotiating window without a deal, as it was in late June that Khan told reporters that the two sides were in the “red zone” on a potential agreement. As recently as last week, Khan also reiterated that AEW and WBD were still in their exclusive negotiating window and that he was optimistic that a deal would be reached.
“We’re still having great conversations right now in the exclusive window,” Khan said during a conference call with reporters. “I’m very focused right now on the conversations we’re having here at TNT and TBS and with Warner Bros. Discovery about AEW and potentially [Ring of Honor] as well. That right now is 100 percent of the focus as we’re working through this exclusive period.”
Nevertheless, despite reports to the contrary, the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. AEW now finds itself able to negotiate elsewhere with its current deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is set to expire at the end of the year. The biggest question facing AEW is whether any other suitors will emerge, and if so, who?
While AEW’s ratings have been solid, albeit unspectacular, developing a viable alternative to WBD is hard. NBC Universal, Netflix and The CW each have new deals with WWE set to go into effect in the coming months, while it’s hard to imagine a company like ESPN or Fox making a play for the No. 2 pro wrestling promotion.
Of course, there is the possibility that a streamer like Amazon could get involved; in this case, Khan would have to weigh the pros and cons of taking his five-year-old promotion off of linear television. Like all negotiations, it will ultimately be a matter of dollars and sense, with AEW now having the ability to test the open market, which could either prove beneficial or detrimental to its negotiations with WBD.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.