Eric Bischoff just dropped a reality check on AEW’s future media worth—and according to him, the promotion has burned through its value with five straight years of decline.
During a deep dive into AEW’s media outlook during his 86 Weeks podcast, Bischoff didn’t sugarcoat what kind of value AEW could command if Warner Bros Discovery decides to cut bait. He explained that AEW’s consistent year-over-year audience loss has left them with no leverage.
“Where are you going to go in cable television when you’ve got the track record? Here’s what they’ve accomplished over the last five years. They’ve lost an average of 20 plus percent of their audience year over year over year. Who wants to buy that? And if you do, you’re buying it for nickels and dimes, not dollars, because that’s all it’s worth.”
Bischoff compared AEW’s current situation to TNA’s downfall after losing its Spike TV deal. He said AEW is in the same desperate territory, where only small networks with little reach would even consider making a deal.
“When TNA lost Spike and they went to—what was the first place they went to? The ID network or some [__] like that? Small little emerging platform. They went there for nickels compared to what they were getting on Spike because their audience was so low. That’s the only people that were interested in them. That’s where AEW is currently.”
He also took the opportunity to say “I told you so” to Tony Khan, revealing that from day one he advised AEW to focus on digital platforms over cable.
“I said this when they launched, when being on Twitter was a rumor. I said this to you, Conrad, on a podcast. If I were them, I would plant my flag with a streaming platform because that’s where the puck is going, as Wayne Gretzky would say. But they went with TV and evidently made some money from television. But if this deal goes away, I don’t know where they go.”
AEW’s streaming numbers on Max reportedly aren’t being tracked clearly, which further complicates future negotiations. With Netflix, Paramount, and Comcast all showing interest in acquiring WBD—and all already partnered with WWE—Bischoff thinks AEW has few options left.
He closed the conversation with a brutal summary of what he sees as AEW’s five-year pattern of self-destruction.
“They have spent five years proving that they’re screwing themselves into the dirt. They’re really good at it. They’ve been doing it 20% year over year over year. There’s no big broadcast rights deal at the end of this rainbow.”
AEW is still on the air for now, but if Bischoff’s predictions hold, the clock might be ticking on their current media deal—and their long-term viability on television.
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