AEW’s Move to Max Is A Success But Streaming Numbers Stay a Mystery

AEW’s expansion to Max alongside its traditional TV broadcasts has been met with optimism, and now more details are emerging about how the move is actually playing out behind the scenes.

While AEW has been ranking among the top live sports events on Max, WBD is keeping official streaming numbers completely under wraps—even within the company.

According to sources within Warner Bros. Discovery via Fightful Select, AEW’s streaming performance has been strong since debuting on Max earlier this year. However, the company is not sharing exact numbers publicly or even internally, making it impossible to gauge just how well AEW is performing compared to other major sports properties on the platform.

Tony Khan previously spoke about AEW’s Max debut on the Battleground Podcast, calling it a “technical achievement” and saying the results have been “fantastic.” But without hard numbers, there’s no way to tell just how much of a game-changer this move really is.

“It’s been so great, it’s been fantastic. It’s been a technical achievement, and it’s been really fantastic quality. The show looks so great on Max, and the results have been fantastic. The fans love it. We’re still getting a great audience on TBS every week. You can watch the show both ways. We’re on TBS live every Wednesday night and streaming on Max. Then on Saturdays, we do TNT still every Saturday in primetime, and we also have the streaming component on Max. The shows look fantastic. It’s just been really great. It was an undertaking technically, but it’s definitely been worth it.”

The secrecy around streaming numbers isn’t exclusive to AEW, but it does raise questions. If the numbers were groundbreaking, would WBD be more open about them? Or is AEW seeing steady growth but not enough to warrant a major shift in how WBD prioritizes them?

AEW’s move to Max might be paying off, but without hard numbers, it’s all just a guessing game. WBD keeping those stats locked down raises eyebrows—if AEW was breaking records, wouldn’t they be shouting it from the rooftops? Or is this just corporate strategy, keeping expectations in check? Either way, AEW’s place on Max is secure for now, but whether this move cements their future with WBD or just keeps them afloat remains to be seen.