New Report Claims AEW And WBD Have Reached Agreement In Principle For New TV Deal

AEW may be close to inking a new broadcasting deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. It's been one of the focal questions looming over the alternative wrestling brand this year, its existing media rights deal with WBD due to expire this year, with several other factors to consider in new contract negotiations. But a new report from B.J. Bethel indicates that the two parties have agreed to a new deal in principle. Per his sources, the new deal was brokered ahead of the expiry of WBD's exclusive re-negotiation window, which would allow AEW to negotiate with rival media entities. There is no word on when this deal will be made official. 

Reporting further, Bethel said not to expect any new AEW shows on the MAX streaming platform until the new deal is locked in, at least domestically. Speculation mounted recently after AEW programming had been spotted on MAX internationally, which Bethel said could be indicative of positive movement, but shouldn't be taken in itself as a sign that the new deal is in place. One of the major outside factors believed to have an impact on AEW's deal either way was WBD's expiring agreement with the NBA. The basketball league has reportedly struck a deal to leave TNT for NBC, ESPN, and Amazon, but WBD is believed to have a right to match that offer until July 22. That situation is thought to be the overarching reason for the delay in AEW and WBD locking in a deal. 

Heading into this year, speculation had intensified over how ROH could fit into the new deal between AEW and WBD. Tony Khan had previously said his existing relationship had driven him to be cautious in discussing new suitors as to not rock the boat with his current partner, but recent reporting on the matter hasn't mentioned ROH being involved in negotiations and, likewise, this agreement in principle doesn't appear to encompass the brand acquired by Khan in 2022.