Tony Khan Reveals His Fulham FC Role Led To AEW's UK TV Deal With ITV

Tony Khan's role as Vice Chairman and Director of Football Operations at Fulham FC paid dividends for All Elite Wrestling.

Khan has played a key role at the Premier League side since his father Shad Khan bought Fulham in 2013 and his partnership with Fulham CEO Alistair Mackintosh led to him meeting Niall Sloan, the Director of Sport at ITV. This would eventually lead to AEW securing a TV deal in the United Kingdom with ITV, one of the biggest stations in the country. AEW programming has aired on ITV4 ever since.

"My family joined the NFL [in 2012] when my father bought the Jacksonville Jaguars. I really believe that's what put me in a position to get into the pro wrestling business. And then when my father purchased Fulham Football Club [in 2013] that also helped me make the connections and in particular connections that we had through the club, including the CEO, Alistair Mackintosh. He actually introduced me to the fine people at ITV, Niall Sloane, who's the director of sport at ITV. I met him through Alistair and built that relationship," Khan told the Hollywood Reporter.

"And that's why ITV was such a great TV partner for us in the UK from the beginning. Being an executive at Fulham and working in the Premier League and in the NFL has given me connections and relationships, where I've been able to get into rooms with the top executives in television and sports to help launch AEW as a major player from the very beginning. I think that's an advantage I've had over other people who tried to enter the pro wrestling promotion space."

AEW Dynamite airs on Friday nights on ITV4 in the United Kingdom, while Rampage is broadcast on Tuesday nights, and Collision on Wednesday nights. A repeat of AEW's All In pay-per-view from Wembley Stadium will also air on ITV4 next week. Find out more here.