Published: 4 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 6 hours ago by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE/AEW/Bleacher Report
With news that Bleacher Report, a TNT Sports entity, has signed a multi-year deal with WWE, details of how it affects AEW have emerged.
News of the deal emerged earlier today, with WWE confirming the “multi-year global content partnership” with Bleacher Report.
Launched in 2005, Bleacher Report was acquired by TBS in 2012, with Turner Broadcasting System now a part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Details have emerged as to how the Bleacher Report & WWE deal affects AEW, which sees WBD as a major partner of its own:
A Global Deal
F4W Online reached out to a WBD spokesperson, who noted the global aspect of the deal with WWE, comparing it to the US reach of the “significant” relationship with AEW, stating:
“One doesn’t replace or diminish the other.”
It’s more than just wrestling
The report would also note that Bleacher Report does more than just wrestling coverage, being a “broad sports platform”.
The platform has “existing relationships with various sports properties that compete with each other” across all levels, engaging fans with its far-reaching content offering.
The endgame
The source would also indicate that Bleacher Report is seeking to “further broaden” its offering to professional wrestling fans when it comes to its content, stating there is an intent to:
“not redistribute a fixed amount of attention from one wrestling property to another.”
More resources for more content
Covering the announcement on Twitter, Fightful would reference a WBD source who indicated that the deal “will affected AEW positively” by bringing more resources to wrestling coverage.
The AEW television deal
With the AEW television deal expiring at the end of 2027, F4W Online would note that there’s an “option year held by WBD”, going on to state that Paramount Skydance is “expected to acquire WBD imminently”, which may cause issues of its own.
Fightful would also indicate that the deal isn’t expected to affect the AEW television extension, with talks not expected to take place for “quite some time”.
WWE growing its media influence
The official WWE Radio channel was announced in July of this year, with SiriusXM being the partner for the platform.
The new deal with Bleacher Report brings a major media player to the table for exclusive access to WWE content on a global scale.
When it comes to cross-media coverage, WWE has entered partnerships with two major players in the form of SiriusXM and Bleacher Report, with both offering the kind of reach that may have been difficult to achieve through platforms exclusive to the professional wrestling space.
Professional wrestling has a loyal fanbase, but the ability to appeal to a broader audience comes by extending beyond dedicated industry outlets.
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