All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) Tony Khan believes “there could be great opportunities” in a free ad-supported streaming TV channel dedicated to the pro wrestling promotion that he founded.
In an interview with PvNew Intelligence Platform’s senior media analyst Gavin Bridge as part of the Monaco Streaming Film Festival, Khan discussed the current state of AEW’s streaming offerings. While the company currently has the subscription service AEW+ available via Fite TV outside of the United States and streams its pay-per-views via Bleacher Report in the U.S., AEW currently does not have a domestic streaming platform for their weekly shows and library content.
“As we build a great library of historical content, it presents more and more opportunities for a potential FAST entry I think,” said Khan, the CEO, general manager, and Head of Creative of AEW.
“I think that’s a decision we need to make in part with our domestic media partners, with Warner Bros. Discovery, who have great presence in the world of streaming, and figure out what makes sense for us in terms of our partnership,” he continued. “Because absolutely there is money on the table for streaming pro wrestling events…So there could be great opportunities there.”
As Khan pointed out, not only does AEW have hundreds of episodes of their own shows and PPVs that have aired since the company launched in late 2019, but Khan also owns the library of Ring of Honor, which encompasses thousands more hours of programming.
“Domestically we’re still looking for the right solution, and it’s a very exciting time for us because the streaming business continues to grow here domestically and frankly the value of AEW events continues to grow,” Khan said.
AEW currently represents a substantial portion of the weekly lineup of Warner Bros. Discovery’s so-called TNets. AEW’s flagship show, “Dynamite,” airs on TBS on Wednesdays, while AEW’s “Rampage” airs on TNT on Fridays. The company also has the unscripted series “AEW: All Access,” which airs immediately after “Dynamite.” They are set to launch a Saturday show, “Collision,” on June 17.
Khan also touted AEW’s “strong position” in a rapidly shifting media landscape, with the company seeing growth in their audiences in both Canada and the U.K., while also airing on Sky in Italy and Germany and recently launching on ESPN in Australia and New Zealand.
“I believe as the landscape changes we can expand AEW’s streaming revenue multiple times over,” Khan said.
