Should AEW Approach HBO Max About Streaming PPVs?

AEW is growing in popularity within the wrestling world. Started by former WWE superstars, at less than two years old they might be the WWE’s biggest competitor. Despite them closing in on the long-standing juggernaut there’s still a huge gap between the two organizations before we call them equal.

First, AEW hasn’t established itself yet to capacity to warrant the second night of television. While there have been talks between them and WarnerMedia about a second show, it might be a little premature. Without taking anything away from their already successful show, in their early stages they’re not quite the heavyweight they’re touting.

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Yes, their Wednesday night program Dynamite is beating out rival WWE’s NXT but that’s not their main brand. NXT is WWE’s developmental league and has a roster full of up-and-coming talent. For AEW to brag about winning the “Wednesday Night Wars” with their main roster isn’t exactly the best push. That’s like getting excited over an NFL team beating a college team as AEW is full of established former WWE talent.

One of the biggest drawbacks of AEW is not being able to watch the next day on a streaming service. As a viewer who doesn’t have cable, it’s almost impossible to watch outside of their website. Even if you go to the TNT website, you have to log in with a cable provider in order to watch older episodes. When it comes to Raw, Smackdown, and NXT they not only have the WWE Network, they air the next day on Hulu as well.

Airing on TNT, AEW is missing this boat, but they don’t have to be. TNT is owned by AT&T/WarnerMedia who just hit the streaming market hard with HBO Max. In order to get their product to more households, especially the cord-cutters they need to approach Warner Media about inclusion on the new platform.

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Considering HBO/HBO Max are considered premium channels and streamers, their cost is a little higher compared to WWE Network. With that being said, getting on HBO Max would allow them to air more than just regular programming the next day. Instead of airing their PPV events on an individual pay platform, HBO Max would allow AEW to stream these main events to a wider audience. The WWE already does this with its PPVs on the WWE Network which retails at $9.99/month. HBO Max is already above and beyond that price point with a $14.99 price tag.

While there might be a lot of fine print when it comes to the details, for a new company that is growing in popularity it would be wise to make a move. Streaming is changing the way people watch television and while they don’t want to undercut their ratings, WWE already has that head start. If AEW wants to bring their product into more homes than just their diehard fan base, they need to find a way to bring their product to the casual fans. HBO Max might be the way to go.