Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be happy with AEW’s work.
As announced via press release on January 12th, WBD touted the success of the promotion and being consistently high in the key demographic rankings.
The press release is as follows:
AEW Franchises across Warner Bros. Discovery’s Networks Continue to Deliver Consistent & Top-Ranked Programs
TNT and TBS have wrapped up another stellar year of AEW wrestling across its networks, including consistently delivering top-ranked programs each week while expanding AEW programming in mid-2023 through TNT’s AEW: Collision on Saturdays and continuing to broadcast memorable wrestling moments and storylines through TBS’ AEW: Dynamite on Wednesday nights and TNT’s AEW: Rampage on Friday nights.
AEW programs across TBS and TNT in 2023 ranked in the top 10 of all cable programs among adults under-50 72 times, including 50 times with a top-5 program in that coveted demo.
Viewership of AEW programming on the networks saw increasing momentum as the year culminated, reaching 15.6 million total viewers in Q4 2023, up 3% vs. Q4 2022.
Overall, AEW programming reached nearly four million viewers each week across TNT and TBS.
TBS continued its success into the new year, with this week’s AEW: Dynamite telecast delivering cable’s most-watched live sports program on the night among P25-54, and second-most watched live sports program on the night among P18-49. The program was also up double-digits in both demos vs. last week’s AEW: Dynamite telecast.
WBD’s action-packed AEW programming continues tonight with AEW: Rampage Homecoming at 10 p.m. ET on TNT and tomorrow with AEW: Collision at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. Next Wednesday’s AEW: Dynamite on TBS will feature AEW World Champion Samoa Joe taking on Hook for the title presented by WB Games’ Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
The news will be positive for AEW who have had a turbulent past 12 months with multiple departures and backstage dramas. The promotion will be hoping that they can put this behind them moving forward as they look to negotiate a new deal.
Will WBD Renew AEW?
2024 sees AEW’s current deal with WBD come to an end. With the wrestling landscape and even the wider world in a much different place than it was in 2019, the renewal process will be nowhere near as straightforward. Along with rumoured talks with WWE, there are also reported talks regarding NBA rights.
Featured image: AEW
