Warner Bros. Is Working On AEW ‘Outside The Ring’ Content

The performance of AEW continues to please Warner Bros. Discovery. Since their merger in April, AEW and WBD have demonstrated a lot of synergy, with several AEW events sporting WBD show branding. WBD frequently mentions AEW ratings in press releases as well.

There have been a lot of reports this year about cost cutting across the various Warner Bros. Discovery networks and some have asked what this all means for AEW. The Hollywood Reporter recently scheduled an interview with Kathleen Finch, Warner Bros. Discovery US Networks Group chair and chief content officer.

The outlet spoke with Kathleen Finch, chair and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Discovery US Networks Group, on how TNT and TBS can keep a male audience from night to night. The outlet asked Finch, “Is audience the only difference between the different networks?” She responded,

Brands like TNT and TBS aren’t one thing, at least the way that HGTV, ID and TLC are. They are many things — sports, comedy, drama, movies. What they have in common is incredibly loyal, male-skewing audiences. And, by that, I mean 55 percent male — not 85 percent. So what can we create on both of those networks that will keep those men coming back night to night, just the way they do on Discovery or Food Network? How can we push the viewers from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday to Thursday with a more defined brand lens?

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“We really play in the sports space. One of the things that we’re doing around sports is creating shoulder programming to hold onto those fans. AEW [All Elite Wrestling] pulls huge numbers, so we are working with the wrestling team to figure out what new kind of content can we build that’s not in a wrestling ring.”

Finch expressed satisfaction with AEW’s audience figures throughout the interview. Recent press releases released by Warner Bros. Discovery support that. On Wednesday nights, AEW typically tops all other shows in the major demos.

The aforementioned comment ought to clear up any ambiguities regarding the affiliation between Warner Bros. Discovery and AEW. The only issue is how the rights fees will be structured when it comes time to bargain for a new agreement. Stay tuned to Thirsty for further updates.

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