Tony Khan, CEO, General Manager, and Head of Creative for AEW, is optimistic that the company will make more money from its next media rights deal than it currently does.
In an interview with Uproxx, Khan stated that he expects “big increases in the rights for the AEW programs” and is on a good pace to make a lucrative deal. He also hinted at the possibility of an AEW streaming service, which has been a topic of speculation for some time.
Khan has also commented on AEW’s women’s division gaining momentum, noting that Toni Storm and Saraya have been very polarizing to fans and have brought great star power and experience to AEW. He believes that the rise of AEW has provided better choices and an alternative for wrestling fans as well as pro wrestlers.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On AEW getting a TV deal early on: “When we launched, having the availability and accessibility and prestige of TNT/TBS set us apart from a lot of other promotions that have launched. We launched with such a strong roster and we had some of the top stars in wrestling from our very first show. And the roster has grown so much and strengthened a lot over the years. Now, I think we’ve just grown to the point where we’re doing our most consistent run of TV shows right now.”
On fan demands for AEW to sign top free agents: “There are always going to be free agents and big names that become available over time in pro wrestling, and I think that’s one of the reasons that the launch of AEW was so exciting. That was actually part of my presentation to Warner executives five years ago, was that we would be creating the first truly competitive free agent market in pro wrestling in two decades. I felt like there was a disparity, the choices available to a wrestler, as far as which promotions they’d want to work with.
“And I think now, with the rise of AEW, it’s provided better choices and an alternative for the wrestling fans, but also for the pro wrestlers. And historically, particularly in the cable TV era, that free agent market and the excitement around it can generate a lot of buzz for a wrestling company, and sometimes for multiple wrestling companies as wrestlers go back and forth.”
On AEW’s women’s division gaining momentum: “In particular, Toni Storm and Saraya have been very polarizing to the fans, they’ve got great star power and great experience that they brought to AEW and some of their comments and their attitudes towards the homegrown AEW wrestlers who helped build up the company when we launched have done them no favors and made them no friends in the locker room. And we have a lot of homegrown wrestlers, stars like Dr. Britt Baker and the AEW Women’s World Champion, Jamie Hayter, who’ve been with us from the very first year and are very offended and disrespected by Toni Storm and Saraya and the things that they’ve said about our homegrown women wrestlers. So I think the free agents have really come in and helped shake things up, and it’s certainly made for a heated series of rivalries and intrigue around the championship.”
On his expectations for the TV deal rights negotiations: “I expect big increases in the rights for the AEW programs and we’re on a good pace to make a very lucrative deal for the AEW media rights going forward.”
