TNT Sports CEO on Warner Bros Discovery Being Interested in UFC, AEW Being “Hybrid of Sports & Entertainment”

UFC’s current media rights deal with ESPN expires at the end of 2025 while ESPN’s exclusive window for negotiations expires this April. UFC and its parent company TKO Group have grown frustrated with ESPN over the streaming issues of UFC events on the ESPN+ service that got worse after serious issues with the live broadcast of the UFC 313 event earlier this month.

A recent episode of Puck’s The Varsity with Jon Ourand podcast featured TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser. One of the topics discussed included Silberwasser’s thoughts about Warner Bros Discovery’s interest in signing a potential media rights deal with UFC and his belief that AEW is a hybrid of sports and entertainment for WBD.

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We know combat sports is an area that we don’t have. AEW is not combat sports, it’s really a hybrid between entertainment and sports, so we don’t consider that 100% sports. Combat sports, like UFC, which is a fantastic property, is something that has perked our interest. Formula One as well. Given our experience with sports internationally, we know the passion for Formula One. We know that in this market it has grown and it has great potential as well. We will continue to be disciplined and strategic about it. It had to meet those objectives that we want. It has to offer us value from a distribution perspective, from a Max perspective, and generate the scale that we need to be able to monetize,

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com