Update On AEW-WBD Relationship Ahead Of Upfronts

On Wednesday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery will be hosting their Upfront presentation, which highlights the innovative advertising offerings of its various brands and platforms. According to PWInsider, All Elite Wrestling is expected to be mentioned in the presentation. An update on the WBD-AEW television rights deal, however, is not. Following this news, a new report has provided some additional information on the relationship between AEW and WBD, as well as their aforementioned TV contract, the current of which is set to expire in December of 2024.

Per Fightful Select, the deal between WBD and AEW is believed to be held "very close to the vest," with the summer or fall of 2024 being the likely time frame for an official announcement. In the meantime, AEW has reportedly partnered with WBD to bring forth a pilot for a new program that is slated to be introduced this week. While the concept of this program is still relatively unknown, it is not expected to be a reality series.

In addition to their impending media rights and AEW-related program announcements, Fightful Select indicates that Warner Bros. Discovery has expressed interest in implementing AEW pay-per-views into the lineup of the MAX streaming service — a platform that is currently owned by WBD. Discussions on this idea are said to have been spanned for "quite some time" between the two parties, with some contract proposals beginning as far back as 2023. AEW President Tony Khan recently confirmed these negotiations with WBD, stating that one of his long-term goals was to bring AEW to MAX. To achieve that, though, Khan noted that both parties had to be fully on board with the potential agreement.