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According to a new report, a merger between AEW and WWE TV partners Warner Bros Discovery and NBCUniversal, respectively, could be in the works.
Warner Bros Discovery owns TNT and TBS, which hold the rights to air AEW Rampage and Dynamite, respectively. NBCUniversal is also a familiar name to wrestling fans as it owns the Peacock streaming service and the USA Network, both of which have running deals with WWE. The USA Network is the host of Monday Night RAW.
According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is behind the planning of the deal, which would see World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling's television partners merge into one company. However, the deal is said to involve a complicated structure that will not allow any negotiations to take place before April 2024.
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While there are still doubts over whether the deal will go through, some top-level executives have already voiced their disappointment.
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“People feel like it’s Comcast for sure,” says the head of one company. “It’s going to be so depressing to lose another major studio [after Disney bought Fox]. And Warners was the Tiffany studio.”
Warner Bros Discovery formed a partnership with WWE's TV partner for the United Kingdom
Warner Bros Discovery announced a partnership with BT Sport, WWE's streaming service in the United Kingdom, earlier this month.
They issued a press release on September 1, which promised one of the most extensive coverage of live sports for the residents of the UK and Ireland. Their press release also listed down the names of the sports they would be covering. This included some top football (soccer) tournaments, World Wrestling Entertainment, UFC, and the Olympic games.
"Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Group have today completed their transaction to form a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) that combines the assets of BT Sport and Eurosport UK. The move brings together one of the most extensive line-ups of live sport coverage for fans in the UK & Ireland."
It remains to be seen whether a potential merger between the two companies will lead to a collaboration between AEW and WWE.
What do you make of this potential deal, and what it means for the two promotions? Let us know in the comments section below.
