Brett Weitz, who works as WarnerMedia’s General Manager of TNT, TBS and truTV, recently spoke with Nellie Andreeva of Deadline and touted AEW as an overperformer for the network.
Weitz, who has praised AEW and gone to bat for the promotion within WarnerMedia in the past, was interviewed to discuss some of Warner’s various projects and plans moving forward. He commented on AEW and Rhodes To The Top when going over their various brands and shows.
“We have AEW, which continues to be such an overperformer; this challenger brand of a wrestling asset has now become one of the biggest shows in cable, which is incredible for us,” he said of AEW and their flagship show, Dynamite. “We obviously started a completely new night and new show on Friday nights with AEW Rampage.
“And we have Rhodes to the Top, which is a different asset, but when you think of it in totality, TNT really has something for everyone, and that’s the thing that we wanted to be able to deliver for those people that still come to us each and every day. If someone comes to us to watch Shawshank Redemption, they stay for Snowpiercer, Animal Kingdom, our sports. They come to us for some of the greatest content, first-in-class content on basic cable.”
Rhodes To The Top, the reality series with Cody Rhodes and Brandi Rhodes, just wrapped its six-episode premiere season. You can click here for viewership numbers for the season. Weitz was asked if they’ve decided on a second season yet.
“No. Not yet. It just ran and finished, and we’re settling in with numbers,” he said. “You know this, Nellie, to just go Live+Same Day is so antiquated. You want to see how things are consumed on VOD and see how things continue to play out.”
Weitz was also asked about AEW Dynamite moving to TBS in January as NHL hockey joins NBA basketball on TNT, and what wrestling will mean for TBS.
“We obviously make these decisions with a lot of data and gut behind them,” he said. “The brand of TBS is we’re always here for a good time. That is exactly what AEW is and AEW Dynamite, and so, when we look at the concentric circles of TBS and TNT, our TBS viewer is a heavy drama viewer, believe it or not.
“So, we know that those fans will migrate over, and we also believe that wrestling fans find the content wherever it is, and we also think, more wrestling’s better for everybody, honestly.”
As we’ve noted, the first AEW Dynamite episode on TBS is scheduled for Wednesday, January 5. TNT is scheduled to begin airing four annual supercard specials in 2022, with the first reportedly planned for Saturday, January 8, possibly with a “Battle of the Belts” theme. AEW Rampage was also scheduled to move to TBS next year, but plans changed and Rampage will be staying on TNT.
Stay tuned for more.
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