In a story published on the New York Post by Andrew Marchand it was revealed that WWE has wrapped up its exclusive negotiating window with both Comcast and FOX for their television rights and remain without a deal.
Marchand notes that it’s highly likely that both companies will retain their television rights but WWE is now in a position to shop around with Disney also a contender.
The story says that Disney is looking to get in the ring with FX instead of ESPN as ESPN cannot guarantee WWE a specific night of the week every week throughout the year due to the many different sports which air on the network.
Amazon is also being discussed but that would mean that one or both shows would move off traditional linear television and head to streaming only, and the same would be the case if Apple decides to dip their toes into the negotiations.
Marchand also adds that Warner Bros. Discovery is a dark horse and he was told by sources that the network “does not have to stay exclusive to AEW.” WBD has AEW programming through the end of the year and has an option year for 2024.
