Last 12 months, AEW signed a multi-year media rights extension with Warner Bros. Discovery, keeping the promotion on TBS, TNT, and Max in america for the immediate future. Meanwhile, UFC’s media rights are currently being negotiated, and WBD is amongst the businesses serious about landing the MMA giant. In accordance with TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser, speaking in an interview with “The Varsity,” UFC could be very much on WBD’s radar.
“Combat sports is an area that we haven’t got,” Silberwasser said. “AEW shouldn’t be combat sports — it’s type of a hybrid between entertainment and sports. … Combat sports is something like UFC, which is a improbable property. And yeah, it’s something that has perked our interest.”
If the 2 corporations come to an agreement, WBD would have working relationships with each AEW and TKO, WWE’s parent company. Nevertheless, the CEO shared his belief that UFC remains to be negotiating with ESPN, its current partner. Moreover, he maintained that WBD will proceed to avoid spending an excessive amount of on media properties, and with UFC’s next deal potentially set to achieve $1 billion per 12 months, that might put WBD out of the running.
AEW’s current agreement with WBD is estimated to be price $150 million a 12 months, with the deal running through not less than 2028. As a part of that, “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Collision” are simulcast on traditional cable in addition to streaming on Max. Moreover, AEW’s pay-per-views are set to turn into available on Max at a reduced rate for subscribers, however the platform has yet to implement the required features.
As for UFC, the corporate’s ESPN deal expires at the tip of 2025. Netflix is currently seen as the highest contender to court the property should negotiations with the Disney sports brand fall through.
