What Does WBD Taking Over BT Sport Mean For WWE & AEW In The UK?

WWE/AEW

Here’s what Warner Bros Discovery’s new venture with BT Sport could mean for WWE and AEW in the UK.

BT Sport is notably the home of WWE in the UK, with Raw, SmackDown and NXT airing through the network.

It was announced in May that Warner Bros. Discovery is set to launch a new sports venture with BT group, with BT Sport and Eurosport UK to remain separate brands initially, before being brought under as single brand.

The The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has now cleared the creation of this joint venture.

Per Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE often insists on putting clauses in their deals preventing networks from broadcasting other wrestling promotions on the same station, meaning UK fans likely won’t get AEW and WWE content from the same place, even after the introduction of the venture:

“WBD likely taking over BT Sports in the U.K., the reality is even if they own the station they may be contractually not allowed to air AEW. In most if not all WWE television contracts, WWE put in the contract that the station would not be allowed to broadcast any other wrestling promotion on the same station. One person involved in negotiating such deals confirmed to us that WWE insists on putting that in deals.”

UK fans currently watch AEW Dynamite and Rampage through FITE and ITV. The shows air on TBS and TNT respectively in the US, networks both owned by Warner Bros Discovery.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

If you’re in the UK but didn’t manage to get tickets to Clash at the Castle on September 3, WrestleTalk is hosting a watch party at The Joiner on Worship in Shoreditch, London, and we’d love for you to join us! Click here for more details.

• BT
• uk
• AEW
• wwe

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