Welcome
to
the
streaming
era
of
the
wrestling
wars.
WWE’s
flagship
weekly
show,
Raw,
is
ditching
cable
and
headed
for
Netflix
in
January.
And
today,
Warner
Bros.
Discovery
and
All
Elite
Wrestling
announced
a
multiyear
rights
extension
that
will
bring
AEW
content
to
Max
starting
in...
you
guessed
it...
January
2025.
The
news
was
first
reported
by
Variety.
Tony
Khan’s
wrestling
promotion
will
gain
a
significant
presence
on
the
popular
streaming
service.
Episodes
of
AEW’s
weekly
shows,
Dynamite
and
Collision,
will
simulcast
on
Max
on
Wednesday
and
Saturday
nights
in
addition
to
airing
on
TBS
and
TNT,
respectively.
Past
episodes
will
also
be
available
to
watch
on
demand.
AEW’s
TV
programming
has
aired
on
WBD
networks
from
the
very
start,
so
the
migration
to
Max
has
been
a
long
time
coming.
AEW
founder
and
co-owner
Tony
Khan.Photo
by
Chris
Welch
/
The
Verge
“This
extension
continues
the
tradition
of
iconic
wrestling
events
broadcast
on
TBS
and
TNT,
while
also
establishing
a
new
legacy
for
AEW
through
weekly
live
streams
on
Max
for
years
to
come,”
Khan
said
in
a
statement.
Also
beginning
next
year,
AEW’s
pay-per-view
events
will
be
offered
to
Max
subscribers
at
a
discounted
rate.
That’s
a
notable
difference
from
WWE’s
current
model
in
the
US,
which
lets
fans
stream
premium
live
events
as
part
of
a
standard
Peacock
subscription
without
paying
anything
extra.
But
it
seems
AEW
isn’t
ready
to
give
up
the
revenue
it
brings
in
from
standalone
event
purchases.
It’s
not
yet
known
what
the
discount
will
be;
AEW
says
more
details
will
be
shared
“in
the
coming
months.”
AEW
held
its
Dynamite:
Grand
Slam
event
on
September
28th
at
New
York’s
Arthur
Ashe
Stadium.Photo
by
Chris
Welch
/
The
Verge
Until
now,
AEW
fans
have
had
to
purchase
pay-per-views
from
a
hodgepodge
of
lesser-known
services
including
Bleacher
Report
and
TrillerTV
—
or
directly
from
a
cable
/
satellite
provider.
Recently,
YouTube
also
began
offering
the
events.
But
with
the
new
arrangement,
AEW
says
“all
marketing
and
promotions
of
those
PPV
events
[will
be]
exclusively
centered
on
Max.”
The
new
rights
deal,
which
totals
around
$150
million
per
year
according
to
Variety’s
sources,
is
yet
another
example
of
the
demand
that
streamers
have
for
live
sports
and
sports-adjacent
content.
Warner
Bros.
Discovery
is
preparing
to
launch
Venu
Sports,
which
has
been
dubbed
the
ultimate
sports
streaming
service
with
partners
Disney
and
Fox
later
this
year
for
$42.99
per
month.
(Originally posted by Chris Welch)
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