The reason AEW Dynamite keeps running well past its scheduled ending has finally been revealed, and it comes down to Warner Bros. Discovery wanting the extra television time.
During a Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp addressed the increasingly common Dynamite overruns and explained that WBD is getting additional AEW programming when the show goes long. According to AEW sources Sapp spoke with, those extra minutes also do not count toward the contracted programming hours AEW owes the network.
“WBD is getting 30 minutes of free content throughout all this, and AEW sources that I talked to told me that that didn’t really go towards the hours that AEW owes WBD in that sense.”
That means AEW has a pretty obvious business reason to keep allowing Dynamite to run long. Sapp said Warner Bros. Discovery wants the overruns, while AEW wants to keep its broadcast partner happy with WBD holding a 2028 option on the company’s television deal.
“If Warner Brothers wants the overruns, why would they not do them? They are appeasing their broadcast partners so they can get their 2028 options picked up. That’s pretty much what it is.”
The explanation comes after Bryan Alvarez said on Wrestling Observer Live that he had spoken with people inside AEW who weren’t happy with how long Dynamite has been running lately.
“Guys, you realize I talked to people in AEW. Nobody likes this overrun. Like, the people there are like, ‘Why is this show going so long? I left and got home and the show was still going.’”
Alvarez also questioned what AEW was getting out of the extra television time, claiming the company wasn’t being paid for the overruns while viewership was dropping as the show continued.
“He’s not getting anything out of this. He’s not getting paid for the overruns. I could tell you that for a fact. He’s losing viewers. He’s shooting his big angles in front of the smallest audience. Like, what are we doing?”
While there may be frustration over the lengthy broadcasts, Sapp’s update gives a clear reason for why Tony Khan keeps allowing them. AEW is giving WBD additional content because the network wants it, and keeping WBD satisfied is especially important with that 2028 option hanging over the television relationship. As for whether Dynamite could eventually become an official two-and-a-half-hour show, Sapp said he hasn’t heard about that being discussed.
“Not that I’ve ever heard.”
For now, Dynamite’s long overruns appear to be less about AEW simply losing track of time and more about giving Warner Bros. Discovery exactly what it wants.
What do you think about AEW running Dynamite long to keep WBD happy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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