AEW TV DEAL

[just drew]

1 hour ago, Stefanie Sparkleface said:

Lemme throw one out there for you…

Fox owns Tubi and has been looking to up their sports content. They showed a lot of World Baseball Classic, La Liga, and NBA G League games on there, and were also the archive for the men’s World Cup a couple of years ago. I wouldn’t discount that negotiations with Fox are for there, and I’d actually say that’s a bigger deal because Tubi’s userbase has been steadily growing (I think I saw that they were pushing 80 million regular users?).

A lot of content providers are getting behind FAST networks like Tubi and Pluto and seeing them as a more viable option. I’m not saying that they couldn’t be in the running for network TV, but I would say Tubi would be a pretty marvelous option, especially if you’re trying to capture the 18-29 market that watches programming on their laptop or phone, not a TV.

I teach high schoolers. They love them some Tubi. You think there's any way it's both? 

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

16 minutes ago, just drew said:

I teach high schoolers. They love them some Tubi. You think there's any way it's both? 

It could be, but from a market growth and pressure perspective, Tubi is the better option.

With the main Fox channel, they only program two hours of prime time per day outside of their sports offerings, so AEW would have to perform strongly (like two million viewers live) before Fox looks for other options. OTA TV is a minefield, and while AEW would be cost effective programming, I’d see them running into the same problems as every other OTA broadcast venture for wrestling.

If it’s in consideration for FS1, you have two major problems. First is cable’s shedding of customers, second is that FS1 is a low prestige channel (their highest rated regular show draws in the 200-300K viewer count, and there’s a significant drop from there). Historically, it’s not a good thing to go to a dying channel and hope your show can save it.

Personally, I would be focusing on where your market is and where it’s shifting towards. Things like Tubi, Pluto, and YouTube are big, and they have a huge chunk of the younger market. Being on those platforms would be smart business.

[nickp]

Happy to hear about AEW’s new tv deal! Continued professional wrestling jobs is a good thing

[Casey]

Fightful has more details. Up to you whether you want to believe them or not, I guess.

Deal is closer to $185m. Both sides said they didn’t give the $150m number to Variety.

Neither side has knowledge of WBD having equity in AEW.

Dynamite & Collision are staying in their regular day and time slot, and airing on Max at the same time (well, duh, that’s what a simulcast is)

Dynamite, Rampage and Collision replays will be the library of footage available.

PPVs added to Max at a discounted price in 2025 (this makes me believe older PPVs not being included in the library of footage means they’ll be $10 each like BR Live had them)

Rampage is not going forward on WBD. AEW gets more money for less content.

WBD had exclusivity over AEW broadcast content on television, but now they don’t.

[NoFistsJustFlips]

If Shockwave ends up being a thing I think it could help attendances. Because it's gotta be live. Running a Weds & Thurs as opposed to a Weds & Sat could benefit them greatly. Can do discount ticket deals to both taping. Keep the routing close. Make sure all the A talent are available because it's back to back days.

Live 2 hour Dynamite on Weds then tape 1 hour ROH after. Live 1 hour Shockwave on Thurs then tape 2 hour Collision after.

But I know that's just my ocd wanting a balanced and equal taping schedule. They'd do some random sloppy shit and it will annoy me lol. But fir real back to back taping on weeknights like that would be an easier sell to get people to Collision.

[zendragon]

Tubi also has Lucha Underground and classic wrestling content. If they are getting good numbers I could see them wanting to add more wrestling content

[Elsalvajeloco]

FS1 was screwed when they decided to build around a man nearing 70 (now over 70 years of age), and then had to rebuild after said man pissed off the only person he had chemistry with and made that person leave. Now that man is gone as well after he suddenly left.

They also reshuffled their daytime lineups as well as the panels in a panic multiple times. Time for a complete rehaul. Too much of the same since it started ten plus years ago.

[Craig H]

I’m shocked, SHOCKED, at the deafening silence from Bischoff and Corny. I’m as shocked we don’t have Vile in here damning this with faint praise.

Wrestlers gonna get paid, another big company around is best for everyone, hopefully WWE keeps partnering with TNA to give them a boost and not just fleece their roster, and uh I have no idea what to say about ROH.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

The less we hear from Bischoff and Cornette, the better. 

[zendragon]

41 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

FS1 was screwed when they decided to build around a man nearing 70 (now over 70 years of age), and then had to rebuild after said man pissed off the only person he had chemistry with and made that person leave. Now that man is gone as well after he suddenly left.

They also reshuffled their daytime lineups as well as the panels in a panic multiple times. Time for a complete rehaul. Too much of the same since it started ten plus years ago.

in fairness who the hell watches daytime TV other than other old people

[Kevin Wilson]

The only thing people could possibly criticize about the deal is the length, since it appears WBD has the option for the 4th year so its basically a three year deal. Everything else is probably about all AEW could ask for, from the money to being on Max to not being exclusive so they can shop around shows other places (or maybe bring back Dark!).

[Elsalvajeloco]

53 minutes ago, zendragon said:

in fairness who the hell watches daytime TV other than other old people

Speaking of that: Yesterday at work, as we have TVs set up all over including all the different break rooms, I saw an Acorn Stairlift commercial. I swear that ad has to be 25 years old now.

But yeah, Fox spent a lot of money trying to compete with ESPN on that front. Then, ESPN started offloading people left and right in the 10-11 years since then.

 

[Stefanie Sparkleface]

1 hour ago, Elsalvajeloco said:

FS1 was screwed when they decided to build around a man nearing 70 (now over 70 years of age), and then had to rebuild after said man pissed off the only person he had chemistry with and made that person leave. Now that man is gone as well after he suddenly left.

They also reshuffled their daytime lineups as well as the panels in a panic multiple times. Time for a complete rehaul. Too much of the same since it started ten plus years ago.

They tried too hard to focus on trying to out-ESPN ESPN on the talk coverage when they could have been buying up rights for international sports (Korean or Japanese baseball, maybe?) and running those games live in the middle of the day so they can capture the market who says ESPN is too talk-heavy. Instead, FS1 really only has utility during college sports seasons, and even then, CBS Sports Network has more games.

I see FS1 going the way of NBC Sports Network at some point because they don't really have much else going for them.

56 minutes ago, zendragon said:

in fairness who the hell watches daytime TV other than other old people

I work from home, so I do from time to time. And I'm not old! Yet! Pay no attention to my postgrad daughter and my aching hip!

[odessasteps]

1 hour ago, zendragon said:

in fairness who the hell watches daytime TV other than other old people

People who work night shift? 

[zendragon]

those people are asleep in the day time

[Craig H]

I watch daytime tv in the sense that I turn on the price is right while I’m working and yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re using the same commercials I saw 30 years ago.

[odessasteps]

Depends on when they get up. And your definition of daytime TV. I get up at 1300 or 1400. But one guy I work with gets home, eats breakfast, watches TV and then goes to bed. 

[RazorbladeKiss87]

3 hours ago, zendragon said:

in fairness who the hell watches daytime TV other than other old people

Inmates. 

 

[GodzillaPerez]

 

[twiztor]

good news all around it sounds like.

let me say that i REALLY like the uninterrupted matches from the international feed, so i hope that continues some way. ideally that would be on MAX and would get me to subscribe (i don't currently have cable tv or any subscription service). 

still curious how PPVs shake out.

[Casey]

7 hours ago, zendragon said:

Tubi also has Lucha Underground and classic wrestling content. If they are getting good numbers I could see them wanting to add more wrestling content

Tubi hasn’t had Lucha Underground for over a year, I believe.

[Curt McGirt]

18 hours ago, GodzillaPerez said:

 

That makes me feel like the scene in The Sopranos where Makazian tells Tony "you have an uncanny ability to sum a man's life up in a single sentence". 

Speaking of Tonys, Tony Khan not archiving his library of shows? I have some prime waterfront highway in Brooklyn to sell you. That dude probably has somebody recording his shit on VHS for him somewhere. 

Edited October 4, 2024 by Curt McGirt

[Shartnado]

20 hours ago, zendragon said:

those people are asleep in the day time

Totally. But they can also sleep while having daytime TV on to make them sleep better.

[twiztor]

4 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Tony Khan not archiving his library of shows? I have some prime waterfront highway in Brooklyn to sell you. That dude probably has somebody recording his shit on VHS for him somewhere. 

yeah, he definitely has a VHS copy of [his] Okada/Danielson or Omega/Moxley right on the shelf next to his old AJPW tapes.

back to the original point, i think it was more about those archives not being included in the broadcast package rather than not existing. IIRC the whole point to those marathon Dark/Dark: Elevation tapings was to add hours to the video library. 

[JLowe]

On 10/3/2024 at 11:00 PM, Casey said:

Tubi hasn’t had Lucha Underground for over a year, I believe.

I got really excited about it last night while a little buzzed and can confirm it’s not there.