Tony Khan isn’t focused on chasing money in the early days of AEW’s relationship with Skydance.
Speaking on Thursday’s media call to promote Saturday’s Full Gear, Khan said that AEW will be looking to renew its TV deal. However, he stated that the company is “not really in the process” of contract negotiations at this point.
Khan revealed that he has had four meetings with David Ellison, the CEO of Skydance, adding that Ellison thinks very highly of AEW. Khan maintains, though, that the two have never been in negotiations. For now, Khan prefers to point to what AEW has accomplished as one of the top shows on cable and one of the best performers for the former Warner Bros. Discovery.
“I’m not the person that’s gonna chase people around and ask about contracts,” Khan said.
Khan pointed out that AEW still has “a lot of time left” on its current contract. The deal, which has Dynamite and Collision on TBS, TNT and HBO Max, runs through the end of 2027, with more than 13 months to go.
When asked if he would eventually have to take the highest offer on the table, Khan said that he faced that decision in 2024. At the time, he chose to keep AEW on TBS and TNT and bring the shows to HBO Max. According to Khan, the goal is to get the best possible deal, but to do it while “playing for my home team.”
Khan recalled what he told David Zaslav when Zaslav was running Warner Bros. Discovery:
“You’ll always get my very best, and I’m not chasing you for money.”
However, Khan said that AEW needs that money to grow, and the company’s biggest revenue source is still its domestic TV rights deal.