Paramount Exploring Bid For Warner Bros. Discovery (deadline.com)

submitted 1 month ago by ImADifferentBird to c/squaredcircle@lemmy.zip

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Lots of chatter about this today. If it happens, it could potentially impact AEW, especially given how eager Paramount/Skydance has been to please Trump through their merger process and how tight he is with TKO.

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[-] Neon_Carnivore@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago

IIRC, TK and his father are the actual owners of AEW. So, at worst, they lose their broadcast/streaming deals. The easy fallback would be to stream on WatchRoH or YouTube until a new tv deal is signed. It would definitely suck, but it wouldn't end AEW.

[-] JelloBrains@piefed.zip 5 points 1 month ago

until a new tv deal is signed

I'm certainly hopeful for them, we desperately need large alternatives to WWE, but I have doubts that if this merger happens US cable would still be an option. TKO has deals with Disney for WWE PLE's, NBC Comcast with SmackDown, SNME, and for now NXT PLE's, Paramount for UFC. Unless AEW can get on Hallmark (lol) I don't see much with a big footprint on cable.

I'm assuming all that based on potential TKO exclusivity agreements, WWE couldn't get WCW programming on TV because of the TNN exclusivity clause, WWE was accused of blocking MLW from Fox owned Tubi when SmackDown was on Fox... there has been a pattern, but I hope that's not true.

[-] ImADifferentBird 4 points 1 month ago

Cable is increasingly obsolete anyway. Though I'm not sure what streamers would be a good option here if this deal caused the WBD deal to go sour. Netflix, NBCU/Peacock, and Disney/ESPN are all in bed with WWE at this point. Amazon Prime, maybe? They already do a PPV deal with them.

[-] JelloBrains@piefed.zip 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'm not gonna lie, I would prefer they went to Prime, Prime did a good job with NASCAR this year, and TNF isn't too bad.

EDIT: Also cable may be on the way out, but it's still the advertisers preferred ratings metric. I assume because the streamers hide the numbers where nielson numbers are easy to get if they have the money.

[-] Neon_Carnivore@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Unless they gave AEW a huge contract buyout, Paramount would also have to honor remaining AEW deals. Which probably includes timeslots, promotion, etc. Which would give them even more time to find a new broadcast home. Hell, even something like Tubi would be kinda huge.

[-] JelloBrains@piefed.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Yeah, 2027 is what I heard is when they are due to renegotiate, although WBD has an option for an extra year, if you believe Dave that is.

this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2025

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