Sports streaming service DAZN has nixed its contract with All Elite Wrestling after just one year over what they deemed to be underperforming numbers.
The two sides agreed on a multi-year deal in early 2023 that would see AEW be broadcast in 42 markets across Europe and Asia. The initial deal included AEW Dynamite, Rampage, Dark, Dark: Elevation, Battle of the Belt events, and four pay-per-views a year.
Now, this deal is a thing of the past. Speculation grew about AEW’s future on DAZN early into 2024 after fans noticed that All-Elite content had been quietly removed from the platform. At the time, no confirmation was given publicly as to the reason behind the removal.
Steven Muelhausen, who ran the wrestling social media side of things for DAZN has now confirmed that the deal is over just one year after being announced. The decision to drop AEW content was made on December 31, 2023, and was made after a string of broadcasts falling below expectations. Only a handful of events reached the numbers DAZN wanted. These events include All In 2023, the first month or so of AEW Collision, and select episodes of AEW content.
AEW did all it could for DAZN when the platform requested interviews from talent, Muelhausen adds, despite DAZN never really showing much interest in promoting AEW on its platform. DAZN didn’t give 5% of the budget they spend for boxing and MMA. Muelhausen, found this to be a shame as wrestling had “a real shot” at DAZN but “never got the opportunity it deserved.
