AEW Rights Acquired By Sony Sports

[SPANDAN]

Impact airs on Fridays at 3 pm on Sony Ten 2 HD.

Means no live broadcast?

 

[iDJ]

Means no live broadcast?

Impact itself is taped. There is no live broadcast in US leave alone in India. Meanwhile monthly pay per views are live and airs on Sony Ten 2. Impact+ specials airs on Eurosport couple of days after it's live telecast.

 

[rohitvatsa]

Impact itself is taped. There is no live broadcast in US leave alone in India. Meanwhile monthly pay per views are live and airs on Sony Ten 2. Impact+ specials airs on Eurosport couple of days after it's live telecast.

Do you watch that too?

 

[iDJ]

Do you watch that too?

Apart from Raw I watch almost every other wrestling show.

 

[IamTRoy4]

Sony had been wanting rights to AEW since Day 1. Problem was WWE moving NXT to Wednesday's to compete against AEW Dynamite. Since April this year WWE moved NXT as they were failing to beat AEW in ratings. It wouldn't make sense to simulcast a similar genre at the same time.

Sony here is getting a good deal. From August AEW will have two shows Dynamite on Wednesdays and Rampage on Fridays. And their pay per views also draws huge numbers. It's a win-win for Sony as they already got Impact. The only thing that can make this deal better is rights of latest NJPW content as these companies along with NWA will work with each other. Meanwhile Eurosport only airs compilation matches of months prior.

NJPW is exclusive to Discovery Network, and most probably they will acquire the weekly IMPACT & PPVs rights too in the next 6 months 'cause Sony’s deal is going to expire this December, and I don't think they're gonna renew.

 

[IamTRoy4]

btw, I think this thread should be moved to DDF as the discussion is mainly for TV Network & rights
(just my opinion)

 

[iDJ]

NJPW is exclusive to Discovery Network, and most probably they will acquire the weekly IMPACT & PPVs rights too in the next 6 months 'cause Sony’s deal is going to expire this December, and I don't think they're gonna renew.

Hopefully, they go for streaming rights of Impact+ content as well. It is horrible experience to watch anything related to Impact since Sony LIV revamped.

AEW should've been on Eurosport. The way Sony treated Impact after acquiring Ten Sports was horrible. No proper promotion, no proper airtime. I hope AEW gets better treatment.

 

[IamTRoy4]

The way Sony treated Impact after acquiring Ten Sports was horrible. No proper promotion, no proper airtime. I hope AEW gets better treatment.

Actually the problem is IMPACT stopped caring about their Indian broadcasting partners, 'cause now IMPACT doesn't even have a proper timeslot for their Impact+ shows on Eurosport, and they too stopped promoting IMPACT like they used to do heavily at first.

AEW will get better treatment from SPN if they get enough viewership for promoting AEW on Sony channels (which IMPACT didn't capture)

 

[iDJ]

Actually the problem is IMPACT stopped caring about their Indian broadcasting partners, 'cause now IMPACT doesn't even have a proper timeslot for their Impact+ shows on Eurosport, and they too stopped promoting IMPACT like they used to do heavily at first.

AEW will get better treatment from SPN if they get enough viewership for promoting AEW on Sony channels (which IMPACT didn't capture)

Hearing rumours on twitter about potential announcement on June 11th with some suggesting AEW being exclusive to Sony Six.

Impact does care about India. The company itself wouldn't have survived without the Sony deal back in early 2010s when American broadcasters were abandoning them. Indians doesn't care about Impact. They were famous in India when they had former WWE and WCW stars. Indians started falling in love with TNA originals like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Sonjay Dutt etc. They did tune in to watch the likes of Sting and Mick Foley but stuck for TNA originals. It was all good until Bobby Lashley left. Problem is India is not familiar to Indy wrestling. They don't related to these indy wrestlers. Yet, they stop watching. Impact+ pay per views are just too niche. Has less continuity of storylines over random exhibition matches.

AEW will be popular in India. Because it got early TNA vibes. There is mixed of indy and former WWE stars. People will watch for Jericho, Moxley, Sting, Rusev, Big Show etc. Will stick for AEW stars.

 

[iDJ]

99% confirmed. AEW is not coming to Sony. How I know? Based on pattern. Sony Sports is sending out similar replies for every other sporting even. Also there is no word from the CEO Tony Khan who is very transparent about every deals on Busted Open podcast which I follow religiously every day. He shows up every week to promote matches and discuss about the wrestling business. I am saying 99% and not 100% because I still want to keep hope alive.