AEW's PPV Future Big Question In Upcoming New TV Deal With Warner Bros. Discovery

AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery are reportedly set to announce a new TV deal and a brand-new TV show. However, the new agreement might also change the way that the company runs pay-per-views moving forward.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW and WBD's new deal could involve streaming, meaning that future pay-per-views could be exclusive to Discovery+ or MAX, similar to the New Japan World and TV Asahi setup. 

The report also states that such an agreement could be profitable for AEW. The company's events tend to generate $2.5 million in revenue, so a streaming agreement for pay-per-views could guarantee a minimum of $15 million. Given that AEW charges $60 per pay-per-view in the United States, it wouldn't be worth giving up the current model unless WBD provides a strong financial incentive that enables growth. Furthermore, a streaming deal could potentially change the number of pay-per-views that Tony Khan's company holds each year. WWE, UFC, and Impact Wrestling hold 12 per year on their respective streaming networks, so AEW might increase their pay-per-view output if they move them to one of WBD's streaming services.

While WBD is reportedly interested in adding pay-per-views and more AEW television shows to its rota, the agreement won't involve ROH and "Being the Elite." The company recently postponed "AEW Dark" and "AEW Dark: Elevation" as well, seemingly due to the imminent arrival of "AEW Collision." It remains to be seen if AEW will resurrect the YouTube series at a later date, but three weekly televised shows should provide enough content for the foreseeable future.