NHL TV Deal With Turner Sports Will Reportedly Not Affect AEW on TNT

– Following NBC Sports opting not to renew its long-running deal with NHL (via Sports Business Journal), THR reports that Turner Sports has now signed up to share the TV rights for the league with ESPN. Dave Meltzer reported on the situation on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, and how this new broadcast deal with the NHL and Turner Sports could affect All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on TNT.

According to THR’s report, Turner will air three of the seven Stanley Cup Finals series, along with half of the Stanley Cup playoffs each season. The regular season slate for Turner Sports will reportedly include the annual Winter Classic Games. It’s unknown which major Turner network will host the NHL. Currently, TNT is already home to the NBA and AEW Dynamite, while TBS airs MLB.

According to Meltzer, he’s seen people saying the NHL will go to TBS and others saying it will go to TNT. One issue is that the NHL usually has a big Wednesday TV game. Previously, there were rumors that one reason NXT would move to Tuesday nights was to accommodate the NHL’s TV deal with NBCUniversal and airing games on USA Network after the NBC Sports Network folds later this year.

Meltzer stated that based on what he’s heard so far, this new TV deal with the NHL and Turner Sports “will not affect AEW.” He added, “AEW will stay in its timeslot, and NHL will probably end up on TBS or a different night.”

Turner’s deal with the NHL is valued at $225 million for seven seasons, starting with the 2021-2022 season.