Why AEW Extended ITV Partnership in the UK for 2025

AEW has an extensive fanbase in the United Kingdom and they recently received some good news as the company opted to extend their broadcast partnership with ITV into 2025 and now the reason behind AEW’s decision to extend the partnership has been revealed.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW has decided to renew its UK media rights deal with ITV to maintain a wider audience reach. It was noted that the channel airing AEW programming in the UK, is free-to-air, which means viewers don’t need a subscription to access it. This significantly increases AEW’s potential audience compared to paid channels like TNT Sports, which used to be Sky Sports.

Meltzer added Tony Khan previously explained that even though TNT Sports in the UK was interested, AEW decided not to move away from ITV. The reasoning is that ITV4’s free-to-air status gives it a broader reach, and despite airing on a delay, the show draws more viewers than it would on a paid subscription channel like TNT Sports.

“Khan had mentioned to us that they were not considering a move from ITV even if TNT Sports in the U.K. was interested after WWE left the television airwaves in that country after a run that started in 1987. Because ITV4 is a free-to-air channel, it has a wider viewer base and, even though on a several-day delay, draws more viewers than the show would do live on TNT Sports, a paid subscription channel.”

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AEW’s decision to extend its UK broadcast deal with ITV for 2025 shows the company is growing and focusing on making its shows easy to watch. By staying on a free channel, AEW can reach more people and grow its audience in the UK, helping the company get bigger in the long run and it’s clear fans approve of this decision as well.

How do you think AEW’s UK broadcast deal will impact the company’s future in Europe? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.