The race to acquire AEW media partner Warner Bros. Discovery heated up on Thursday with major players entering the picture. The Hollywood Reporter reported that three official bids have come in for WBD from Netflix, NBCUniversal, and Paramount/Skydance. The report noted that the bids vary “for some or all” of the company.
WBD essentially put itself up for sale in October. While no specific details on the bids were revealed, the New York Post reported that bids were submitted at noon. Deal insiders are “predicting a winning offer that will likely fall far short of the $30 a share that CEO David Zaslav said he wanted for the media conglomerate.”
The report added that WBD and David Zaslav are “expected to hold two, maybe three rounds of bidding to push the price up above the $23.50 that Paramount Skydance has already offered for the entire company, according to people close to the matter.”
This news is relevant to wrestling fans regarding AEW’s broadcast future. The promotion is currently in year one of a TV contract that runs through 2027 with an option for 2028. The deal sees Dynamite and Collision simulcast on HBO Max, with content archives also available on the platform. The agreement includes AEW Pay-Per-View events available at a discount for subscribers.
Ariel Helwani and other media members asked AEW head Tony Khan about his concerns regarding the sale. Khan remained optimistic about AEW’s relationship with Zaslav. He said they have continued to grow and integrate into WBD through their changes and that the support has been reciprocal. Both NBCUniversal and Netflix currently have existing deals with WWE, while Paramount kicks off a seven-year deal with the UFC in January.
