On Friday morning, reports came out that Netflix was set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for $82.7 billion. The acquisition, whenever it becomes official, will affect the wrestling world, as Netflix is WWE’s partner and WBD is AEW’s long-time media partner. Reports indicate Netflix’s bid is for the studio and streaming assets (HBO Max), while TBS and TNT are likely to be spun off into a different company.
Speaking at the ROH Final Battle press conference in Columbus, Ohio, AEW President Tony Khan was asked about the acquisition. Khan first stated that it is “early to comment on anything that’s pending.” He then focused on the current situation with WBD, saying, “I just want to say we have a great partnership with Warner Brothers Discovery and it will continue for many years to come. We have years left on our remaining agreement with TBS and HBO Max.”
Khan said he is proud of what they have built and thinks “it’s going to be for a long time to come. It’s going to be like this with Warner Brothers Discovery before anything is settled out. I’m very excited for the future.”
Khan also pointed out the connection between the bidders and the National Football League. He stated, “What I can say, from the things that are public knowledge, all of the bidders on Warner Brothers Discovery are media partners of the National Football League and great media partners of ours. Everybody who has been in the running for this is somebody we work with on the NFL, so I have a lot of respect for all of them. We work closely with all three bidders in the mix and we’ll see what happens.”
Khan ended by confirming the long-term status of AEW’s television deal. He said, “I have only positive things to
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The ROH Final Battle press conference with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.Â
