How streaming can be the next frontier for wrestling: AEW CEO

Professional wrestling has come a long way since its humble beginnings. As WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) helped bring the sport to TV screens and venues across the globe, the company has seen billion-dollar media rights deals, generated millions of dollars in apparel sales, and is responsible for the rise of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. However, one wrestling company is looking to shake up WWE's dominance in the industry. AEW (All Elite Wrestling) CEO Tony Khan joins Asking for a Trend to discuss how the company is looking to shake up the wrestling industry. "We are where the best wrestle... We have got some of the most exciting pro-wrestlers and we work with companies all over the world, so we bring in the top international stars from Mexico, Japan, all over the world," Khan tells Yahoo Finance. Khan says AEW set the world record last year for wrestling ticket sales in the UK, selling 81,000 tickets at Wembley Stadium, adding it has a large following in the country, as its partnership with ITV has secured it the biggest TV audience of any wrestling company. Khan notes that both AEW and WWE have young demographics, however, AEW fans skew slightly younger. He explains, "WWE has got a very established large audience, and as an established league with over 60 years of history, I think it makes sense why they would have a big audience." As AEW's five-year anniversary approaches, Khan says the company is gearing up for its "biggest two weeks of television." He points to AEW Grand Slam and Wednesday Night Dynamite as upcoming events alongside the five-year anniversary show in Pittsburgh. With AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) reportedly close to renewing their media deal, Khan says, "I think we can say with 100% certainty, AEW is going to be on TBS and TNT for a very long time to come." He explains that the two companies have a "great partnership," and adds that CEO David Zaslav is a "huge supporter of AEW." "I've spent a lot of time with him and he believes in what we're doing. He believes in growing AEW on TBS and TNT, and I think there's potential for AEW on new Warner Bros. Discovery platforms to grow the business even more. It's no secret that WBD has a top streaming platform in Max that's really grown, and they've built a great sustainable streaming platform there, and I think that's a great strategy for us to try to focus on. And that's someplace I'd love to be for AEW is Max," he adds. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Asking for a Trend. This post was written by Melanie Riehl