mike del toro

@nicklopiccolo Serious question can the ppv buys me confirmed legitimately?like I know now with max they're numbers aren't public that I know of but rest of distributors?

Can anyone confirm these are the correct Wrestling Observer PPV buy estimates for AEW’s 2024 PPVs? I’m trying to make sure I’m using the actual number of ppv buys Meltzer claims for each event. Crowdsourcing verification is easier than digging through his old posts.

@meganmecrazyXX That is a very respectable and honest answer. I didn't vote for him because saw this coming but was willing to give benefit of doubt on alot of things. Still hopeful he turns things around because he can still do alot

@JDfromNY206 I mean I think he was at end. Between fozzy and aew was hard to watch at end. Time away and another reinvention can be great couple months. I would like a wwe final run not at current creative tho

Can’t wait for all the AEW Sickos who claimed Jericho was old, washed and irrelevant to welcome him back with open arms because he supposedly isn’t headed to WWE 🫣

@nicklopiccolo Or am I just hoping for a good thing.in u.s this app would be death for are if they have no other partners but internationally I don't think it a bad deal

@nicklopiccolo But talking internationally and cutting off thriller app isn't this a good thing with all issues thriller having they control there ppvs and shows there's now and get potentially more eyes on roh on new sign ups.obviously in u.s this would be horrible option

The rule of thumb is that you need at least 100 hours of library to launch a FAST channel. That’s the math of running a 24/7 linear stream. A channel has to fill 168 hours of programming every week. Without enough library depth the rotation collapses and the same episodes start looping constantly. FAST channels exist for one reason: to monetize existing library content with advertising. The content is already produced and amortized, so the cost is low. You package the catalog into a linear stream, distribute it across connected TV platforms, and sell ads against the viewing time. That’s the entire model. Library content + incremental ad revenue. However... AEW is also selling three tiers of subscriptions and bundling non-library content like live TV rights and PPV access inside the product outside North America (currently). That isn’t FAST economics. That’s a DTC hedge against the 2027 media rights cycle, giving AEW a direct distribution option if traditional carriage changes.

@nicklopiccolo @DerekTheler This isn't cool leave kids and people's family out of stuff. Why are people this damn weird smh

congratulations, you found my instagram and a photo of my son roman with @derektheler at casa vega in sherman oaks. incredible investigative work.

@nicklopiccolo I may also be completely way off base too but outside looking in looks different

@nicklopiccolo This is closet they could ever be to sd with simulcast and if they were smart be using wb to promote and have whatever ppl they can sitting in on shows promoting it but that's a failing on tk more than anything.marketing just sucks with them

let me get this straight. last june i said nobody in hollywood believed the aew tv deal was $185m. then i warned that if paramount bought wbd the tv deal could disappear. tony khan tried to silence me and come after my job over it. now he’s “thrilled” about paramount buying wbd?

@nicklopiccolo I get that but whwre theybare standing compared to wwe I still feel like they are a cheaper alternative to wwe with a high ceiling of growth depending on tk

@nicklopiccolo 1000 percent agree.he was adamant last deal to wait for wb only as a loyal soldier to only work with them but wwe took over how many channels and services in same time.sign wherever you can for future of aew

@mdeltoro49 Yeah I think that you are correct. The truth is even if he was the best man at David Ellison's wedding, TK still needs to get ahead of the 2027 scenario, and realistically, it takes 12-18 months to do it.

@nicklopiccolo Just hope hes thrilled but also looking at all his options.if he can resign with them great bit look at whatever channels,services u can 4 roh and or anything for dynamite collision be like wwe and take whatever u can.if they did that roh or aew would've been on cw instead of nxt

Tony Khan ‘thrilled’ about the exact scenario I warned since last summer would be very bad for AEW

@nicklopiccolo He literally never acknowledges anything that's happening so he's staying the course if they don't pick up option he'll blame merger and cost cuttings as reason etc etc till finds something else.if they do resign he'll be like see wasnt worried.

@nicklopiccolo @rayjaysworld99 @DosEvil *resign nxt ple

@nicklopiccolo @rayjaysworld99 @DosEvil Realistically we would know if they resign with cw pretty fast no if deal up in month.i mean I was thinking peacock could be option if they don't resign cw. Ratings are similar with dynamite not knowing hbo Viewings with percentage of aew ppvs wouldn't be decent deal?

ok bro 🤣🤣🤣 There are only two distributors on the board if Paramount cancels AEW. Collider and consulting work 💀

@nicklopiccolo Wow and coming from a aew supporter even that is ridiculous

lmao they tried to community notes this

@nicklopiccolo @ALTofWrestling This was perfect and informative.

@ALTofWrestling Sorry it took me a few days longer than promised I've been sick most of the weekend

Here is the thread I promised over the weekend with the 2027 live sports rights outlook. This is about mandates, capital already deployed, and per telecast budget ranges. I will update additional buyers in this thread. There are 19 or 20 buyers total across the landscape. STREAMING Netflix Budget Tier: High (600K+ per telecast) TKO Position: WWE Raw in the United States under a 10-year deal reportedly valued at over 5B. SmackDown, NXT, Premium Live Events, and full WWE library across most international territories. Capital Context: Multi-billion NFL Christmas inventory windows. Global amortization model built on worldwide scale. Mandate: drive global subscriber acquisition and engagement minutes at scale across 190+ markets. Netflix prioritizes IP that can be marketed as global cultural events and that fills 52-week programming cycles. Creative Filter: serialized, internationally exportable, advertiser-safe enough for multinational brand partners, and capable of sustaining long-term franchise arcs. Budget Tolerance: 600K+ per telecast for properties that materially move global subs or engagement metrics. Essentially zero appetite for regionally confined or demo-fragmented inventory that does not expand international leverage. 2027 Structural Implication: Netflix has consolidated the global WWE backbone. There is no incentive to layer overlapping wrestling inventory. Amazon Prime Video Budget Tier: High (600K+) TKO Position: no long-term wrestling or combat rights commitments. Amazon has serviced pay-per-view events via Prime Video Channels distribution, but servicing PPVs is not the same as investing in core media rights fees. Acting as a transactional storefront or distribution layer does not equal writing multi-year guaranteed rights checks. Capital Context: ~1B per year for NFL Thursday Night Football under a long-term exclusive deal. NBA package in the new cycle. NASCAR streaming slice. Deep ad-tech and commerce integration infrastructure. Mandate: Prime retention, national advertiser growth, ecosystem leverage across retail, AWS, and advertising stack. Amazon prioritizes properties that drive predictable weekly engagement and national brand budgets. Creative Filter: tier-one leagues with consistent reach, advertiser-safe positioning, and long-term franchise value. Amazon prefers season-long inventory over one-off event distribution. Budget Tolerance: 600K+ per telecast when the property is part of a broader, guaranteed, multi-year rights package with measurable advertiser demand and subscription lift. Very limited appetite for paying premium rights fees for inventory that does not scale into Prime’s broader ecosystem. 2027 Structural Implication: There is a material difference between facilitating PPV transactions and underwriting long-term media rights. Amazon has demonstrated willingness to distribute events, but its core capital deployment strategy focuses on owning premium league inventory, not simply servicing PPV windows. Apple TV+ Budget Tier: High (600K+) Capital Context: MLS global rights (~250M/year). US Formula 1 beginning 2026 (~140M/year). Deep integration with Apple hardware ecosystem. Mandate: curated global sports portfolio that reinforces Apple’s premium brand identity and ecosystem integration. Creative Filter: aspirational, clean, globally scalable, nothing risqué, nothing niche, nothing culturally polarizing. Budget Tolerance: 600K+ only for properties that align with Apple’s global brand architecture and can be positioned as premium lifestyle content. 2027 Structural Implication: Apple’s entry barrier for combat inventory remains extremely high. Only globally aspirational sports brands clear the filter.

@nicklopiccolo Unfortunately your not wrong.he was adamant before last deal to only stay working with wb he limited himself.couldve had roh or anything aew on cw before nxt or another channel.but shot himself in foot.

tk is never going to listen to anybody imo. this is just as much a heads up for the talent as anything else.

@nicklopiccolo That'll be awesome to hear. Regardless of "crashout"your inside knowledge on this whole wb paramount netflix deal been awesome. And to hear legit options aew would have

Options are limited. I will lay out a full, thorough analysis and explain it later today, some time later after my 9 year old’s baseball game. If only the rest of his game was as elite as his bat toss

@nicklopiccolo But realistically how do they save themselves if options are so limited?

i guess i’m going to need to draft this now + give out some more free game because NO ONE is coming to save aew from this live rights landscape in 2027 — unless they save themselves