AEW Lands Huge Opportunity on TNT as WBD Exec Clarifies Its Place in the Network

AEW fans, take a deep breath—Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) isn’t just keeping AEW around, they’re actively giving it some of the best exposure possible.

TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser was on <em ">The Varsity podcast with John Ourand, where he discussed the network’s approach to sports programming and what’s next for WBD. While talking about adding more combat sports like UFC and Formula 1 to the mix, Silberwasser made an interesting distinction when it came to AEW:

"We know combat sports is an area that we don’t have, and AEW is not combat sports. It’s sort of a hybrid between entertainment and sports, so we don’t consider that 100 percent sports."

While pro wrestling has always existed in a gray area between sports and entertainment, Silberwasser’s comments suggest that WBD is classifying AEW differently from properties like the NBA, NHL, and UFC.

AEW is Getting a Huge Boost from WBD

The biggest proof of WBD’s commitment to AEW? The prime TV real estate they’re giving the challenger promotion.

Later this month, Collision is airing immediately after TNT’s NCAA March Madness coverage. That means AEW will be in front of one of the biggest sports audiences of the year, putting Collision in a perfect position to gain thousands of new viewers who might not normally check it out. That’s a massive opportunity and not something you give to a show you don’t care about.

On top of renewing Dynamite and Collision, WBD also regularly features AEW on its Max app, with all weekly shows streaming on the platform. WBD isn’t just keeping AEW around, they’re helping it grow. The reality is, AEW is a priority for WBD, and the network is giving it some of its biggest opportunities yet.