TNA continues to shoot for a better television distribution deal as it seeks to reach profitability.
While promoting Slammiversary, Anthem Sports president Carlos Silva was interviewed by JohnWallstreet and discussed the need for a larger platform and ambitions of taking Impact to a weekly live format:
A “new media rights deal will help us build a more consistent fan base with larger reach,” Silva said. “It will also provide us the opportunity to go live 52 weeks a year, and in today’s world live matters [in terms of fan interest and revenues].”
The company has aired on multiple outlets throughout its twenty-three-year history, most recently on AXS TV, where it has lived since 2019. That same year, Anthem purchased a majority stake in the cable network.
Silva placed a heavy emphasis on TNA’s relationship with WWE/NXT over the past year for the promotion’s growth, stating that it has resulted in a “huge audience lift” for their television audience. Later in the piece, Silva disclosed that when they air Impact live, they are “doing around 100,000 household viewers”.
Silva would like to see the promotion upgrade its television presence to a network in 40-50 million homes, compared to the roughly 30 million homes that AXS TV is found in. He said they are hopeful of finding a television distribution deal in the range of $10 million annually, with ongoing talks.
“We’re talking to [all the established] linear guys and a couple of newer platforms that need a foundational [programming] centerpiece,” Silva said. “There are a couple of networks, that look like Spike [TV] in today’s world, we could be a good fit for; the same way [UFC and TNA were for that network a decade or two ago].”
JohnWallStreet included a note that TNA is not currently profitable, and Silva noted the possibility of a spin-off down the road of one of Anthem’s pieces:
“Either we keep [the portfolio] and continue to grow [it], or there could be a spinoff of the Anthem Sports Division.”
TNA will run its Slammiversary pay-per-view on July 20 at the UBS Arena on Long Island, New York, which currently has 3,500 tickets distributed, per WrestleTix.
