TNA seeking media rights deal to go live 52 weeks a year
TNA Wrestling is hoping to secure a new media rights deal that would allow them to go live 52 weeks a year.
Anthem Sports Group president Carlos Silva spoke to JohnWallStreet.com about his plans to grow the promotion as it receives increased exposure from its partnership with WWE.
Silva said:
“We are [regularly] being featured on every major WWE and NXT platform — PLEs as well as weekly programming on The CW and their other [broadcast] outlets like Peacock,” Silva said. “This [has resulted in] a huge [television] audience lift for [us], along with all the social media support we get from [them].”
Silva believes $10 million per year is in the range they are targeting.
He also said a new media rights deal for TNA would “provide us the opportunity to go live 52 weeks a year, and in today’s world live matters.”
“Usually when we’re live, we’re doing around 100,000 household viewers,” he continued.
“A weekly number between 250,000–500,000, in terms of Nielsen-esque P2+ households, is perfectly realistic on a network in 40 or 50 million homes.”
“Something in the $10mm/year range is where we think we should be.”
“We’re talking to [all the established] linear guys and a couple of newer platforms that need a foundational [programming] centerpiece.”
In December, TNA announced a new media rights deal in Canada with Sportsnet, which was set to lose its wrestling programming the following month as WWE content moved to Netflix. Other international media rights deals left open by WWE’s move to Netflix included Fox Sports Mexico, which announced a deal with AEW in October.
Dave Meltzer addressed the situation in January on Wrestling Observer Radio, stating that WWE is hoping TNA will fill the vacant media rights spots since the deal with Netflix means they are unable to. He also noted that people close to the situation believe WWE will end up owning TNA Wrestling at some point.
TNA is running UBS Arena in Long Island on July 20 for its annual Slammiversary show. According to an update from WrestleTix on July 5, 3,510 tickets have been distributed for the show.
