Backstage Report Offers Further Details On AEW-WBD Deal That's Reportedly Close

AEW's next media rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery seems to be approaching the finish line, with a report yesterday suggesting AEW was poised to sign a 3-4 year contract worth $170 million annually. Now, a new report from Fightful Select has some additional details on the situation behind the scenes.

In addition to backing up the news regarding the deal, today's report states that the new media rights package will be enough to make AEW a profitable company. Leading up to the agreement, AEW reportedly saw $200 million per year, for a five-year deal, as a "large benchmark" that they hoped to achieve. While the impending deal is slightly less than that, and for a shorter amount of time, there is now potential for the promotion to surpass that goal.

It remains a possibility that AEW's pay-per-views are part of a separate deal that is currently being worked on between the promotion and WBD, which could see the events wind up streaming on MAX. On top of that, the report indicates that AEW is currently shopping around another television package for broadcast networks, and that it's something Tony Khan has wanted to make happen for a while. It appears AEW's exclusivity with WBD is ending with the new contract, allowing Khan to bring AEW offers to other companies, explaining the recent AEW-Fox rumors.

There reportedly hasn't been any word about Ring of Honor being included in any of these deals, but it remains a possibility. So far, AEW has kept most information about the contract locked down, with talent unaware of many details. While no firm date has yet to emerge, it seems the new deal could be announced as soon as next week, according to the original report.