Tony Khan has acknowledged that 2024 is a “really big year” for AEW as this year marks the media renewal year.
The AEW owner was asked about the negotiations with Warner Bros Discovery during the Double or Nothing media scrum.
In response, Khan praised WBD’s leadership and revealed further details of what’s going on, saying:
“It’s a really big year [for AEW]. I think a lot of you know some of these details, but to peel back the curtain, this is our media renewal year, and like a lot of athletes or teams, in a big year with a big opportunity, we’re all really swinging for the fences here.
“So it’s going to be really important for us. We’ve been now going on five years at Warner Brothers Discovery and it’s been the most amazing relationship
“When we started this, something that was really important to me was bringing wrestling back to TNT and TBS because it really … to the American fans, it is something I grew up on and it’s a tradition that goes back over 50 years and it had been interrupted for too long and it’s really great having wrestling on TNT and TBS. It just fits like a glove in my opinion.”
Khan would go on to express his appreciation for WBD CEO David Zaslav, saying:
“I know we were having great talks and I’m very blessed to be engaged with the awesome leadership of Warner Brothers Discovery. Mr. Zaslav has been amazing for AEW.”
He stated that it’s been “more than refreshing” to have Zaslav’s “fresh perspective” and desire for “more AEW” after “several years of being [on WBD]”, praising leadership throughout their time in the partnership.
Former Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni, now of the Puck ‘Mail Room’ Newsletter, revealed that, despite the positivity from Khan, things haven’t been so rosy behind the scenes.
According to Belloni, Zaslav and TNT Sports’ Luis Silberwasser both want to retain AEW on TNT and TBS but Khan himself is “disappointed” by the offer currently on the table for his content.
Belloni further states that losing AEW could be a headache for Zaslav with the network also likely to lose the rights to the NBA with it potentially further pushing him “into hot water in his cable carriage deals.”
AEW and WBD are currently in an exclusive negotiation window which means that any other suitors would have to wait before entering their own negotiations.
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