In a major move in pro wrestling, AEW (All Elite Wrestling) and Warner Bros. Discovery are taking their relationship to the next level with an expansion of their six-year partnership. WBD’s HBO Max will begin streaming AEW pay-per-view events live in the U.S., starting with AEW All Out on Saturday, September 20, at 3 p.m. ET. Per AEW’s announcement, this marks the first time an AEW PPV will be offered directly inside HBO Max.
For AEW fans, this partnership expansion marks an upgrade in convenience to watch the promotion’s PPV events. HBO Max subscribers in the U.S. will be able to pre-order AEW All Out beginning Friday, September 5, for an exclusive price of $39.99. With Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, and other supported devices, viewers will be able to enjoy All Out without ads and with high-end technical features, including HDR10 picture quality and Dolby Atmos sound, live on HBO Max,
Not only can customers expect an immersive, arena-style experience at home for AEW’s flagship event, but fans will be treated to a coordinating cross-platform promotion. The countdown to All Out begins with a one-hour AEW Saturday Tailgate Brawl lead-in show at 2 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max. Additionally, TBS and HBO Max will present a special three-hour build show, September to Remember, from London, Ontario, earlier in the week. This partnership gives AEW a growing mainstream distribution across Warner Bros. Discovery networks and services.
How to Watch AEW All Out & PPVs on Max
HBO Max subscribers who purchase the PPV will find it under “My Purchases” in the “My Stuff” section of HBO Max. After the live window, replays of the event will be available exclusively to purchasers for six months. AEW also notes that purchase and access may vary by subscription provider and that a base HBO Max subscription plus a supported device are required to buy directly through the app.
The Squared Circle Streaming Wars Continue
After reaching this agreement to bring AEW PPVs to HBO Max, the second-largest wrestling promotion in the world now has a broader reach and an easier on-ramp for casual viewers. By leveraging HBO Max’s audience to push AEW special events to more households, subscribers can easily find all of the wrestling promotion’s shows in one place.
Compared to the Monday Night Wars of years past, AEW’s strategy of bundling premium live moments inside a single major streaming app brings a modern flair that is the opposite of their main competition, WWE. WWE secured a new deal for its PLEs with ESPN, bringing those shows to the newly launched ESPN app and its linear networks.
As the streaming wars heat up outside of the ring, WWE scheduled its ESPN debut, WWE Wrestlepalooza, to counterprogram AEW All Out. However, with the announcement of today’s partnership, AEW changed the start time of All Out to 3:00 p.m. ET on September 20. If AEW did not change its start time, this would mark the first time their PPV and WWE main roster PLE would’ve went head-to-head.
Securing these new media deals across mainstream platforms means pro wrestling has entered its streaming boom in the digital age.