Tony Khan's wrestling promotion will gain a significant presence on the popular streaming service. Episodes of the weekly AEW shows, dynamite And Collision, will be broadcast simultaneously on Max on Wednesday and Saturday evenings and will also air on TBS and TNT, respectively. Previous episodes can also be viewed on-demand. AEW's TV schedule has aired on WBD networks since its inception, so the migration to Max has been a long time coming.
“This expansion continues the tradition of iconic wrestling events broadcast on TBS and TNT, while establishing a new legacy for AEW through weekly live streams on Max for years to come,” Khan said in a statement.
Also starting next year, AEW Max subscribers' pay-per-view events will be offered at a discounted rate. That's a notable difference from WWE's current model in the US, which allows fans to stream premium live events as part of a standard Peacock subscription without paying anything extra. But it appears AEW isn't willing to give up the revenue it generates through standalone event purchases. It is not yet known what the discount will be; AEW says more details will be announced “in the coming months.”
Previously, AEW fans had to purchase pay-per-views from a number of lesser-known services like Bleacher Report and TrillerTV – or directly from a cable/satellite provider. YouTube has also recently started offering the events. But with the new agreement, AEW says: “All marketing and promotional efforts of these PPV events.” [will be] exclusively aimed at Max.”
The new rights agreement amounts to around 150 million US dollars per year diversity Sources, is another example of the demand that streamers have for live sports and sports-related content. Warner Bros. Discovery is preparing to launch Venu Sports, billed as the ultimate sports streaming service, with partners Disney and Fox later this year for $42.99 per month.