AEW has made a change to how fans in the United States and Canada can access its pay-per-view events. The company has ended its domestic partnership with Triller, which operated through FITE TV, and is now directing fans to platforms like Amazon Prime, YouTube, PPV.com, Fubo, and traditional cable and satellite providers. This decision follows growing financial issues at Triller.
AEW had used Triller for a large share of its international pay-per-view buys, but concerns over the platform’s stability seem to have influenced the move. Triller is currently at risk of being removed from the NASDAQ stock exchange. It previously announced raising $14 million in January, but it was later revealed that the deal had not closed and no money had been received. The company has also failed to file its annual 10-K report and first-quarter results for 2024. On May 23, Triller stated it was working to submit both reports “as soon as they could.”
Though AEW has pulled its events from Triller in the U.S. and Canada, the company still uses Triller’s AEW Plus service internationally. This commercial-free service lets fans outside the U.S. watch AEW shows live and has been described as “a key part of AEW’s distribution since day one.”
Triller is also a major platform for independent wrestling promotions. It hosts free shows, pay-per-views from smaller companies, and a bundle package that includes content from promotions like Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). Its current struggles could have serious effects on the independent wrestling scene.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that a source familiar with Triller’s situation said the platform was “being shopped around for a low purchase price.” The source estimated that it would take “15 million to 20 million dollars to get it going in all,” explaining, “You need to buy it, address the debt, and inject capital into the thing to get it up and running again.” The source described Triller’s debt as “a very considerable number” and said the company had been offered for sale, though it is unclear who it was offered to. Triller did not respond to questions about the matter.
This is not the first time Triller has been linked to a potential sale. Years ago, reports claimed the company approached WWE about a possible deal. While Triller denied it, a separate source said they had been told “exactly that by those in Triller itself.”
With AEW pulling out of the partnership and Triller’s financial problems continuing, the future of AEW Plus and Triller’s role in wrestling is uncertain.
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