All Elite Wrestling just celebrated the 1-year anniversary of Dynamite on TNT. Tony Khan spoke to Bleacher Report this week and revealed that several other networks were interested in carrying the show before they reached a deal with Turner Sports.
“It was a long process,” he said about finding a television partner. “It was probably about a year from when I started pitching the show to when it got picked up. There were other networks interested in it, but I think we ended up at the best possible place for us.”
Khan continued, “TNT is where I always wanted to go. From a marketing standpoint, there was such a great promotional push around the debut and they [TNT] were so happy with the results that we got a four-year contract extension all within the first four months. It was a very successful debut, but it was a long road to get there.”
Khan has been a lifelong wrestling fan. He was an avid ‘fantasy booker’ in his teen years and always dreamt about having a wrestling show on TNT. “I’ve been writing shows in notebooks, Microsoft Word files and even Word Perfect going back to 1995.”
TV Rights Fees
AEW has actually produced more episodes of Dynamite in the pandemic-era than before it. With live crowds restricted in most places, the TV rights AEW receives for Dynamite plays a more important role in the company’s bottom-line.
Khan also spoke about how just because they can have packed crowds in Florida now, doesn’t necessarily mean they will do so.
“Live events have changed in the past year, more so probably than in all the previous years combined. TV rights now more than ever are the most important revenue stream. Now all of a sudden, things are possible to do legally. That doesn’t mean you should try to pack the place.”
The full interview with Tony Khan can be read here.
