Tony Khan has publicly addressed the proposed Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, telling Bloomberg TV’s The Close during a New York promotional appearance for Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view that the merger will be a positive for AEW and that he is “100%” confident Paramount will keep AEW on its platforms post-merger.
The Bloomberg appearance was part of Khan’s Double or Nothing promotional push in the New York market. The merger between Paramount Skydance (now WWE’s premium live event platform partner) and WBD (AEW’s current domestic media rights partner) has been one of the big business questions facing AEW since the deal was first announced. The proposed acquisition is still working through the regulatory process, with both companies needing to clear multiple hurdles.
“I am very excited about Paramount acquiring WB and Paramount and WB coming together. This is going to be great for AEW.”
Asked directly if he believes Paramount will stick by AEW post-merger, Khan was definitive. “100%.”
Khan walked through the strategic logic. “With the power of HBO Max and Paramount Plus together, it’s more buyers for our PPVs and more people watching the AEW shows. I think it will make TBS and TNT stronger cable channels with Paramount and David Ellison coming in.”
Khan also brought personal relationship with David Ellison, the Paramount Skydance head, through their shared NFL ties. Both Khan and Ellison have ownership-side connections to NFL franchises (Khan’s father, Shahid Khan, owns the Jacksonville Jaguars; Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, is part of the Oracle ownership tied to multiple sports business ventures).
The current AEW-WBD domestic rights deal runs through 2027 with WBD holding a one-year extension option. AEW pay-per-views currently stream on HBO Max in the US, with the company’s Dynamite and Collision airing on TBS and TNT. Paramount Plus does not currently carry any wrestling programming.
AEW Double or Nothing airs Sunday from Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing, NY. The show has surpassed 13,800 tickets distributed and is on pace to become the second-highest-grossing domestic pay-per-view in AEW history.
