AEW TV show to debut in October on major network

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From F4WOnline/WON:

First discussed by Jim Ross in an interview with WFAN Radio and confirmed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio Saturday night, details on AEW's impending TV deal are coming together and Double or Nothing might provide further clues.

Meltzer verified Ross' statement that AEW will have a live, weekly two-hour primetime show on a "key cable station" according to Meltzer beginning this October. The deal wasn't signed as of Saturday, however.

Meltzer said AEW was negotiating with two major US outlets and that an interest point for both parties was the ability to have AEW as a streaming property which includes events like Double or Nothing. He said both outlets have existing streaming services, and believes the ability to sell PPVs on it would be a key component of the deal.

Meltzer added that with Double or Nothing coming up on May 25th, it will become easier to narrow down who the TV partner is based on those streaming service options.

He also said AEW is working on an international TV deal which, when finalized, would be "pretty significant".

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From this week's Observer newsletter:

The Sports media web site “The Wrap” wrote that All Elite Wrestling was in advanced talks for a weekly television show that would likely air on TNT.

The story essentially became a Twitter thing the night before when Brian McMahon, a Twitter personality who is very well connected with MMA business, who uses the name The Fight Oracle, stated that Warner Media Group (Turner Sports) will present AEW Wrestling at their upfronts to advertisers next month. The upfronts are scheduled for 5/15.

This led to reports that AEW had signed with Turner Sports, with speculation the show would be on TBS, TNT or Tru TV, all under the Turner umbrella.

At press time, no deal has been signed, but the story of TNT being a possible home for an AEW television deal has credence. At last report, there was a deal from within the Turner group and a second proposal from another group on the table.

Because of the Double or Nothing show being on 5/25, and interest in streaming rights to the show, that’s something else notable as far as timing of the deal being completed. The idea is for AEW to be both for a weekly prime time television show and to also be involved with a streaming package with its broadcast partner. TNT’s streaming service, B/R Live, is a sports site built around various NBA packages, the UEFA championship league and the PGA. The idea of announcing AEW at the upfronts on 5/15 is also a timing issue of if or when the deal gets done.

We’ve confirmed the deal hasn’t been signed as of 4/11. The Wrap story reported the same thing, saying the deal was “pretty complex” and the signing was “not imminent,” and that an announcement on 5/15 would be ideal, but it’s not a definite.

Those at AEW have not addressed the story in any form.

The Wrap story talked about a weekly show and threw in the idea the show would not be year-around. That would be inaccurate.

As reported in the Observer previously, the plan is for a two hour live show. The last word was that the show would air on a weeknight, it would not be Monday or Friday due to WWE. If it was on TNT, it would not air on Tuesday’s due to TNT’s NBA contract. This would leave Wednesday or Thursday as the open days if on TNT. We had already reported that Tuesday, which was the plan with the trademarking of Tueday Night Dynamite, had been off the table as the likely date months ago. It could be different as far as the days of the week if it was on a different station.

Reports and comments from Jim Ross and Brian McMahon that the show would start in October would be the best bet scenario if negotiations are completed soon enough to make that date viable.