Tony Khan Has Spoken To WBD About Proposed AEW PPV Calendar Expansion Plans
Tony Khan and WBD have discussed the idea of more AEW PPVs
Jul 19, 2023
Warner Bros Discovery and All Elite Wrestling are believed to currently be in the midst of negotiations regarding a new broadcast deal, with reports suggesting that WBD were pushing for AEW to increase its pay per view output.
AEW currently run four stand alone PPV event per year - plus the Forbidden Door supershow with NJPW - but rumours suggest that WBD are keen on expanding AEW’s PPV calendar significantly and tapping into new revenue streams.
During the ROH Death Before Dishonor pre-event media call, Khan was asked about increasing PPV output, with Khan saying the following:
"I think it’s evolving. I believe no wrestling company that has ever expanded its pay-per-view calendar due to demand and economics has ever regretted that decision. In general, there have been factors that have helped wrestling companies rise and fall over the years, but I do think expanding your pay-per-view calendar has often been something that has been seen as revenue positive and an overall positive for companies. Certainly, when there was competition in the past, more pay-per-views was the standard. For us, we launched with a very methodical plan. We built a really solid calendar of major events. Now, we’re talking about six major events that are pay-per-view worthy. As for expanding the calendar even further, it’s something we’ve talked to Warner Brothers Discovery about and it’s something everyone believes could be revenue positive. It’s something to certainly consider, but I’m very happy with what we’ve built," Khan said.
The Monday Night Wars in the 90s saw WCW and WWE expand their PPV output significantly, with both companies putting on a major show per month. WWE have continued to produce monthly PPV/PLE shows, at times producing more than 12 PPV events in a calendar year.
H/T: Fightful
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