AEW is closing in on a new deal with Warner Bros Discovery, but that might not be all. Speculation has ran rampant over the weekend about the possibility of AEW programming also appearing on another network. To be clear, we've heard that the WBD-AEW deal is very close to being done, but hasn't been completed as of yet. When there were rumors of an announcement being made at AEW All Out, WBD reps simply told us that talks are "ongoing and amicable." Both sides expect a deal to be done and the partnership to continue for years go come. Enter Fox. Fox just finished up their five-year run with WWE, and they may not be completely out on pro wrestling for the future. Thought the relationship briefly soured with WWE before Vince McMahon's exit, Fox had long looked at bringing on additional pro wrestling content. Years ago, they nearly landed MLW for Tubi, which resulted in a lawsuit. In recent months, Fightful reported that they'd also been interested in a seasonal wrestling program for Tubi. There has been discussion backstage in and within the TV world that select AEW content could be headed there. After the Shockwave trademark emerged, there was internal speculation in both worlds that a new program could be headed to the Fox family of networks, whether it be Fox itself, Tubi, FS1, or anywhere else. One source close to Fox had indicated to Fightful and Beyond the Bell's Andrew Zarian that there were no troubles in moving ads for wrestling, but that the cost of Smackdown cut into that quite a bit, and that Fox would be interested in keeping wrestling as a part of their programming with the right deal. This would come as a major change for AEW, as when they added Collision to their current WBD deal, exclusivity was worked in, which is why AEW Dark no longer exists. We're told that regardless of what deal is reached, the exclusivity clause runs through the end of the year, but was a part of the WBD discussions that could see a return of non-exclusive programming. At least one source near Fox's side did claim that the two sides had contact, but when reaching out to Fox reps, they did not return our request for comment or insight. Neither AEW or Fox have confirmed these talks. There will be more on these rumors during Fightful's Beyond the Bell with Andrew Zarian and Rich on Tuesday Morning. |
