AEW broadcast partner to split TV networks, Max & other properties into separate companies

In a long rumored move, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Monday that they intend to split up their various broadcast entities and other properties into two separate publicly traded companies by mid-2026.

One, called Global Networks, will house their various networks like TBS and TNT (the home of AEW’s weekly content), Discovery, Discovery+ and Bleacher Report. This will be headed up by Gunnar Wiedenfels who is WBD’s chief financial officer.

The other, Streaming & Studios, will house the WBD movie studio, DC Studios, the WBD television production arm, HBO, the soon-to-be renamed HBO Max streaming service where AEW programming can be seen, and their TV & movie libraries. This will be headed up by David Zaslav, current WBD president and CEO, whom Tony Khan frequently mentions when talking about their partnership.

This is unlikely to affect AEW in the short term as they are in year one of their latest WBD TV contract that runs through 2027 with an option for 2028. The next development in that partnership is the ability to offer pay-per-views on Max which is expected for 2025. Whether this intended split will change that timeline or eliminate it altogether remains to be seen.