Nick Khan says AAA being available for free on YouTube outside Mexico isn’t some temporary stop while WWE searches for a bigger media deal. It’s exactly where the company wants AAA right now, and Khan says that decision is already producing “significant audience growth.”
While speaking to The Varsity, Khan was discussing WWE’s broader media-rights strategy and how the company moved away from relying on its own standalone streaming service. WWE has increasingly put its programming on established platforms, and that brought Khan to the strategy being used with AAA.
According to Khan, putting AAA on YouTube outside Mexico was a deliberate decision. The idea is to remove the barrier to watching the promotion and make the product available to as many people as possible.
“We bought a Lucha Libre company called AAA about a year and a half ago. We have that intentionally on YouTube outside of Mexico, where it’s on Fox Mexico.”
Things work a little differently inside Mexico. AAA’s arrangement with FOX Mexico also includes Tubi, which Khan specifically likes because fans can access the product without having to pay for another service.
“Part of being on Fox Mexico is being on Tubi. That’s free to air in Mexico. We love that for that country.”
That same thinking is behind YouTube internationally. Instead of immediately putting AAA behind a subscription or paywall, WWE is using one of the biggest freely accessible platforms in the world to get the promotion in front of more people.
Khan says they’re already seeing the results.
“And YouTube is obviously free globally, so you’re seeing significant audience growth in our Lucha Libre AAA product.”
That makes WWE’s current AAA strategy pretty straightforward: reach first, monetize differently later if it makes sense. AAA gets FOX Mexico and free access through Tubi in its home market, while everyone outside Mexico can find the promotion on YouTube without needing another subscription.
Khan didn’t give specific audience figures or say how long WWE intends to keep AAA on YouTube. For now, though, there’s no need to wonder why the company hasn’t moved the product somewhere else. WWE put AAA there on purpose, and Khan says more people are already watching because of it.
Do you think keeping AAA free on YouTube is the right way for WWE to grow the promotion internationally, or should the company eventually move it to a larger streaming partner? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
