A potential shift for AEW Collision from its established Saturday night broadcast to a new, permanent slot on Thursdays is under consideration. The evaluation is reportedly influenced by network preferences regarding competition from WWE and future programming availability.
According to a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, AEW’s broadcast partner TBS has indicated a reluctance for Collision to air directly against major WWE programming broadcast on network television. The specific concern mentioned was WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC.
They are monitoring the situations when it comes to Saturdays with WWE major shows… in particular Saturday Night’s Main Event, because TBS doesn’t want to go against a wrestling show on NBC, understandably so.
Further details on the timing of any potential move were discussed during the June 16 episode of the Fightful Report podcast. On the show, Sean Ross Sapp addressed the possibility of Collision moving to Thursdays.
Yeah, with it being a hot topic among fans… if I personally heard any rumblings about Collision moving permanently to Thursdays in the future.
Sapp noted that a change in scheduling becomes more feasible once the network’s commitments to other professional sports leagues conclude for their seasons.
I would say now—or actually, once the Stanley Cup is over—then it’s more of a possibility. Once those are sort of cleared up.
While Sapp clarified that no decision has been finalized, the end of the NBA and NHL seasons would provide the necessary scheduling flexibility for such a move to be executed.
But as of now, I have not heard that it’s moving to Thursday. It’s just that it would be a better possibility once NBA and NHL are up.
This evaluation follows an instance where AEW aired a live edition of Collision on Thursday, April 17, to avoid the weekend of WWE’s WrestleMania 41. Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer noted the significance of that broadcast being live rather than a taped show aired on a delay.
They are not going to be taping it Thursday and airing it on Saturday, airing it live on Thursday.
The decision to broadcast live on a different night suggests a deliberate test of a new time slot as the company weighs its strategic options for the weekly program.
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