A new report has details on rumors that AEW could be in talks with Fox for a new program as the company closes in on a deal with WBD for their media rights. As has been reported, AEW is said to be close to an agreement on a media deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, with Tony Khan saying over the weekend at the Collision and Rampage taping that it was “safe to say” the company will be staying on those networks going forward. There was speculation online that AEW programming could appear on another network, and Fightful Select has some more on those rumors.
The report notes that the AEW and WBD is very close but has yet to be compoleted, with WBD reps saying simply that talks are “ongoing and amicable.” Both sides expect that deal to be done and the partnership to continue.
Meanwhile, FOX’s deal with WWE officially ended on Friday with Smackdown moving to USA Network this week. The report notes that Fox has long looked at the idea of bringing more wrestling content over and it was previously reported that they neearly brought MLW onto Tubi, which was a factor in MLW’s lawsuit with WWE. The company has reportedly been interested in a seasonal wrestling show for Tubi and there’s been talks within AEW and in the TV industry that select AEW content could end up on Tubi, with internal speculation that the AEW Shockwave trademark could be for a new program headed to Fox whether on Fox proper, Tubi, Fox Sports 1 or elsewhere.
One source close to Fox has noted that they have had no difficulty in selling ads for wrestling content, although the cost of Smackdown cut into profits a lot and that with the right deal, Fox would be interested in wrestling still. One source near Fox has indicated that the two sides have had contact, but Fox’s reps did not return requests for contact.
This would be a big change for AEW, who have had an exclusivity clause in their current AEW deal that’s been in place since Collision joined the lineup. The exclusivity clause runs through the end of the year.
