Bleacher Report and WWE announced a new multi-year agreement on Monday that gives the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned sports media platform global highlight rights to WWE programming.
WBD, of course, is the parent company of cable networks TBS and TNT, which air AEW Dynamite and Collision each week. The media company that owns those networks is easily AEW’s most important relationship, and the deal for Dynamite and Collision provides AEW with what is almost certainly its largest source of revenue. So the new deal between a WBD-owned entity and WWE raises the inevitable question: What does this mean for AEW?
A WBD spokesperson emphasized to POST Wrestling, also on Monday, that the new deal between WWE and Bleacher Report doesn’t displace any existing agreement held by AEW. A similar deal for AEW highlights doesn’t currently exist, though such a deal could still be made in the future, we were told by the spokesperson.
Under the agreement, Bleacher Report will hold global highlight rights to show clips of Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown, NXT, and WWE’s premium live events. Clips will be distributed across Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, and the wrestling-focused vertical B/R Wrestling, along with the brand’s associated social and digital platforms. The deal will go into effect ahead of the October 10 Money in the Bank event, according to the joint press release.
Executives involved in making the deal were B/R General Manager Bennett Spector and WWE Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Revenue Alex Varga.
Bleacher Report previously sold AEW pay-per-view events, but that was discontinued in 2024. WBD now distributes those events through HBO Max.
