There’s been a lot of interest within WWE this week about AEW partner Warner Bros. Discovery potentially being interested in the WWE TV media rights.
Former USA Network Executive Vice President of Original Programming James Andrew Miller, who now works as a best-selling author and journalist, appeared on Jimmy Traina’s SI Media podcast this week and said he wouldn’t be surprised if WBD went for the WWE media rights, adding that he knows of people at WBD who are interested in working with WWE.
WBD, parent company of TBS and TNT, among others, currently airs AEW programming, and it’s believed that the relationship is good. However, WWE is the king of the industry, especially when it comes to outside media. In the new interview, Traina asked Miller if there are other companies, besides FOX and NBCU, that would like to work with WWE.
“I think so. And I wouldn’t be surprised, despite the fact that money is such an issue for them, I wouldn’t be surprised if Warner Brothers Discovery wouldn’t like a slice of that WWE pie,” he said.
Miller continued and speculated on RAW possibly moving to a new night, “Monday Night does not have to be on Monday night. Monday night is a tough night, because if you go through the calendar all year round, there’s sports on Monday night. And you could, if you’re Warner Brothers Discovery, you could say, we’re gonna move it to a different night, we could have the NBA on Thursday night, but we’re gonna figure out a different night for it and all of a sudden it becomes very attractive.”
Miller was then asked if WBD would want WWE programming in addition to AEW programming, which is a deal both companies likely would not go for, or if WBD would want WWE instead of AEW. He replied, , “I don’t know. I just know there are people at Warner Brothers who are interested [in WWE].”
In an update, a new report from PWInsider notes that when Miller’s comments came out, a lot of people within WWE were immediately interested, with some questioning whether there was anything to Miller’s claim, or if he was just speculating. It appears confirmation on Miller’s WBD claim has not reached WWE as of this week as several top WWE executives were wondering if there has been anything said from the WBD side about potential interest in doing a deal with WWE.
The belief is that the WBD – AEW deal runs through the end of this year. There has been speculation on WBD possibly having the rights to AEW through late 2024.
WWE’s current TV deals, with the USA Network for RAW and with FOX for SmackDown, will expire in 2024, and talks are set to begin soon. WWE CEO Nick Khan has said USA parent company NBCUniversal and FOX will have the right of first refusal on the new deals, but we still could see another potential buyer involved, such as WBD. If NBCU and FOX fail to reach a deal within that exclusive time-frame, then WWE could begin negotiating with others.
We noted last week how WWE and ESPN are having talks about working together in the future. The Endeavor acquisition and merger with UFC has supercharged interest in WWE among Hollywood circles, but it has also increased overall interest in potential pro wrestling content elsewhere.
Unless something has changed, Peacock maintains the rights to distribute the WWE Network and live WWE Premium Live Events through 2026 as a part of the five-year deal signed in January 2021.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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