Latest Financial Terms Of AEW-WBD TV Deal Put It Even Higher Than Early Estimates

-- Yesterday, AEW and Warner Bros Discovery announced a massive new television rights media deal that will see flagship programs Dynamite and Collision continue to air on TBS and TNT for the next few years. The new deal also will see the shows stream on MAX beginning in 2025 while AEW PPVs will also head there and be available at a "discounted rate" next year.

-- Fightfulselect.com reports that the plan is for Dynamite and Collision to remain on Wednesday and Saturday nights, respectively while AEW Rampage - as rumored - will no longer air on any WBD channels. There is a chance that Rampage could still continue on a different platform but it could just as likely be canceled altogether. The AEW library is also expected to be fully included on MAX.

-- Financial terms of the deal were not fully disclosed but sources have pegged it anywhere from $150 million per year to upwards of $170 million. The WrestleVotes account reported yesterday that while $170 million was a figure tossed around, they had heard that it was actually more than that and closer to $185 million annually. Dave Meltzer on f4wonline.com then reported this morning that the deal is worth $555 million over three years working out to an average of $185 million per year, however, it is an escalating deal with the first year being less than the average and the third year being more. If the fourth year option is triggered, Meltzer reported that it would be "way up" (than the $185 million).

-- The only aspect of the deal that was met with negativity was that PPVs would be available on MAX but viewers would still incur an additional cost on top of their subscription fee. Fightfulselect.com reported that people in AEW pointed to UFC's model that if you cannibalize your PPV business, there's no way to really go back. WWE on the other hand, moved all their PPVs/PLEs to their network and are now unable to capitalize on additional revenue that they could from sales with business being hot. However, on the flip side, it's also possible that the ease at which WWE PLEs are available is a contributing factor in their business picking up.