UPDATED: AXS TV Reportedly Lays Off 40 People Following Anthem Sale

UPDATED: Cuts have come quickly following the Anthem acquisition of AXS TV, with 40 people reportedly let go on Tuesday. As noted in the original version of this report, AXS shuttered their Dallas office on Tuesday. According to The Wrap, in addition to the office being closed, 40 and perhaps more were laid off which includes almost all of the Dallas staff. The site reports that the news came from three individuals knowledgable about the matter, with two saying that the number could be closer to 80 if you include the contractors, freelancers and consultants that were let go.

The cuts reportedly came within hours of the sale’s announcement, and one source said there was no opportunity given for consultants to try to negotiate a new deal. A spokesman for Anthem told the site that AXS had more than 100 employees before the cuts and while two of the sources say there are about 20 employees that remain, though the spokesman said he believes the number to be higher.

In addition to Dallas, the terminations include abnout a fourth of the Los Angeles office of AXS and much of the team in Denver, and were done because of redundancies created by the sale. The spokesman said “almost all senior AXS executives” were retained. He noted that the Los Angeles office is important to AXS due to its music and sports teams, and Denver has value due to the leadership team being based there. He also said the contractors could be hired back, noting, “We’re incredibly grateful for everyone’s contributions and excited about the company moving forward.”

A conference call is expected for tomorrow for information to be dispersed about the company’s direction, and it is said to be “radio silence,” with confusion abounding at the moment.

ORIGINAL: AXS TV has reportedly shut down their Dallas office following its purchase by Anthem Media on Monday. PWInsider reports that the office, which handled production for NJPW among other things, was shut down on Tuesday.

The move comes after Anthem, the owner of Impact Wrestling, announced its purchase of the company on Monday. Impact is expected to move to the network, though details on how that will happen are still being worked out.

In addition, Adam Swift has announced that he’s leaving AXS TV this week. Swift is the vice president of business and legal affairs and, per PWINsider, was a big part of the network bringing in pro wrestling back in the days of Ring of Honor airing on HDNet.

This is my last week at AXS TV after 11 amazing years. Proud of all that we accomplished, blessed to have worked with so many wonderful people, and excited for the next adventure.

— Adam Swift (@AdamMSwift) September 10, 2019