-- As reported yesterday, WBD is holding their upfronts this week in New York City and pwinsider.com reported that while AEW was expected to be mentioned, there was no news expected to be announced regarding a new media rights deal for AEW programming.
-- Fightfulselect.com further reports that any potential new deal is expected to be kept "very close to the vest" and that an announcement is more likely later this summer or even into the fall. The exclusivity window that WBD has with AEW to negotiate continues into that timeframe. The report added that WBD and AEW have a scheduled pilot for a new program that was set to be announced this week on social media though not much is known about it except that it is not expected to be a reality series.
-- This report also notes that WBD sources have indicated that the company has great interest in adding AEW PPVs to their MAX streaming service and that the two sides have been having talks for a while on what a prospective deal could like. There were reportedly proposals being made as early as last year and it is believed that WBD is moving forward with a heavy focus on MAX and want it included in any future deals. Another factor that will affect a WBD-AEW deal is whether the media company retains or loses rights to NBA games; if they lose those rights, it is almost a lock that the company would look to re-invest those funds to maintain a strong position on cable.
