Tony Khan discusses negotiating with Warner Bros. Discovery.
AEW's media rights were set to expire in 2024, and the two sides negotiated throughout the year. AEW Dynamite previously premiered on TNT in 2019, and the company later added AEW Rampage in 2021 before Dynamite moved to TBS in 2022. AEW went on to add AEW Collision as its third weekly show; it premiered on TNT in June 2023.
In October 2024, AEW and WBD announced that they reached a multi-year deal that was reportedly valued at "upwards" of $150 million per year. As part of the deal, AEW Dynamite and Collision will remain on TBS and TNT, while they will simulcast on Max as well. AEW pay-per-views will be available on Max later in 2025 as well.
Speaking with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp after the AEW All In Texas on-sale event, Tony Khan was asked to comment on the negotiation process with WBD.
"It’s interesting. For me, as a sports executive, it’s interesting to sit in the other seat as a player. I’ve been in so many negotiations across football and pro wrestling and have so many great relationship with talent and athletes. Knowing what it’s like with the greatest athletes, in this case, as AEW the company, the sports league, being in the player’s seat, it was really really great. You talk about relationships I know what it’s like to be the party on WBD’s side. That’s why I had such a great relationship and rapport with them and I think it helped AEW. We have a lot of trust, and what’s really great is Mr. Zaslav himself told me he believes in AEW. David Zaslav is one of the greatest executives in Hollywood and a big supporter of AEW. That’s really great for us to have the boss of Warner Brothers Discovery in AEW’s corner and in the wrestling fans corner. I was at the Olympics with him in Paris and we’re talking about AEW on the biggest stage in international sports with a top executive whose company had all the European broadcasting rights and great things going on. Mr. Zaslav was really excited about the renewal process over the summer, and engaged. To have Mr. Zaslav, Bruce Campbell, and the great team behind us. Kathleen Finch will be retiring. She’s been great boss for us at TBS and TNT and a big AEW supporter. Kathleen is a very prestigious entertainment executive and her first ever wresting event was AEW Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the first time she had ever been to pro wrestling, and we made a fan for life with Kathleen. I got to spend a great time with her and her husband Pete and all the great Warner Brothers Discovery executives in Paris as we were coming to close this deal together," Khan said.
Khan went on to highlight how having AEW simulcast on Max was a key part of the deal, as he stated that it would be great for everyone involved. He also made it clear that this aspect of the deal would not change the viewing experience for the fans.
"A huge piece of it is the simulcast. That’s one of the things we wanted to get done and both sides are going to see a lot of value. It’s going to be great for everyone involved. There will be AEW fans coming to Max to watch these shows, and we’re still going to bring the same great audience to TBS and TNT, week in and week out. I want to stress that. For the fans, this doesn’t change your viewing experience, unless you want it to. For everybody who watches the show on TBS and TNT, don’t get confused. The show is still going to be on every Wednesday on TBS and every Saturday on TNT. It’s just another way to watch the show and hopefully make more new AEW fans on Max," Khan said.
Tony Khan previously commented on AEW coming to Max. Click here to see what he had to say.
In November, Khan said it was too soon to provide a concrete date for when AEW pay-per-views would debut on Max. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Tony Khan had to say about the future of AEW's video games.
