Why AEW Should Be Concerned For Next TV Deal

In a changing television landscape, it’s been explained why AEW might be concerned when it comes to their next TV deal.

It was announced in October 2024 that Tony Khan’s AEW promotion had signed a new TV rights deal with WBD to continue broadcasting Dynamite on TBS and Collision on TNT. The deal was reportedly for $555 million over three years, which averages out to over $185 million per year with a fourth-year option.

As part of the deal, the Rampage show was removed from AEW’s regular lineup, while the better news was that Dynamite and Collision would be available on the Max streaming service.

But the television landscape is changing, and WWE is making its home on Netflix. Other sports are also exploring the streaming landscape, and even successful shows are finding it hard to exist on traditional outlets.

Should AEW Be Worried By Boxing Show’s Cancellation?

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that boxing’s move away from traditional television, leading to ESPN cancelling Top Rank, could spell bad news in the long run for AEW when it comes to their next television deal:

ESPN not renewing Top Rank, which did not do bad ratings; their ratings were pretty decent, even good for the timeslot. But they just didn’t renew it because basically, ESPN is doing cutbacks. You do have to have some concern for AEW in the next deal, just because this was a higher-rated show, and they didn’t renew it, so you just never know.

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