TNA’s Media Rights Race Heats Up: AMC Emerges as Surprise Contender for 2026 Deal
A major shift may be coming to TNA’s broadcast future — and the wrestling world is watching closely.
According to exclusive reporting from The Takedown on SI, TNA Wrestling is expected to announce a new U.S. media rights deal before the end of 2025, marking the biggest distribution shakeup for the company since the Spike TV era. After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, new network players are now pushing for a piece of the TNA brand — and one of them is a surprising heavyweight.
Let’s break down everything we know.
What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?
TNA President Carlos Silva has spent 2025 aggressively shopping the promotion’s American media rights — a move he was specifically hired to spearhead. In conversations with The Takedown on SI earlier this year, Silva and Creative Artists Agency estimated TNA’s media rights value between $7–10 million annually.
Carlos Silva, TNA PresidentCurrently, TNA iMPACT! airs on AXS TV, which is owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment — TNA’s parent company. Because the show airs on an in-house network, TNA receives no major rights fee, leaving millions of dollars on the table compared to WWE, AEW, and even smaller mainstream sports properties.
According to television industry sources speaking with The Takedown on SI, TNA’s new rights deal is expected to land by late 2025 or sooner. TNA officials declined to provide further comment.
A New Potential Home for TNA
For months, networks like A&E and The CW — both with WWE ties — were reported as interested. But now, The Takedown on SI confirms a new, unexpected suitor:
➡️ AMC Networks
Best known for prestige series like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, AMC has never aired professional wrestling. But they have previously been rumored (back in 2014) to have explored a WWE acquisition — a story that never materialized, but showed wrestling was not off their radar.
An AMC deal would immediately expand TNA’s reach:
- AXS TV homes: ~30 million
- AMC homes: ~60 million
A 100%+ increase in visibility.
AMC is part of the James Dolan–controlled AMC Networks umbrella, which also owns BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV. Dolan also oversees Madison Square Garden, the Knicks, and the Rangers — massive entertainment properties that reflect AMC’s sizable infrastructure.
WWE–TNA Partnership: A Factor in Talks?
With WWE and TNA working together for much of 2025, the timing is notable. WWE has already run The Theater at Madison Square Garden this year and returns again this month for NXT tapings, while Cena’s final Raw ever happens tonight inside the main Garden.
Whether WWE’s partnership influences which networks feel comfortable working with TNA remains unclear — but it undeniably raises TNA’s profile.
When Could the New Deal Start?
That part is still murky. It’s unknown whether:
- TNA would change nights
- TNA would shift away from Thursday
- iMPACT! would air live more frequently
- Or if the new partner would push for a rebrand
Sources told The Takedown on SI that the next rights package may include more live programming — a growing necessity in an era where live sports is the only guaranteed ratings draw.
TNA’s Momentum: Big Crowds, Big Headlines, Big Expectations
2025 has been one of TNA’s strongest years in over a decade:
- TNA Slammiversary
- TNA Bound For Glory → featuring the retirement of Team 3D by The Hardys and Mike Santana defeating Trick Williams for the World Title
- A month-long break
- Santana loses the title to Frankie Kazarian at TV tapings this past week
The company is producing some of its loudest North American houses in years — and a new media deal could push that momentum even further.
🎙️ Wrestling.news | Backstage Take
TNA is positioning itself for its most important business decision since the Spike TV fallout. And the AMC revelation is huge — not just because of the increased reach, but because it signals legitimacy. A network synonymous with Emmy-winning TV doesn’t court a wrestling company unless it believes the product has heat.
If TNA closes a deal with AMC or another mainstream network, everything changes:
- More visibility
- More sponsorship
- Bigger production
- Real revenue stream
Carlos Silva made bold promises when he took over. So far, he’s delivering the kind of aggressive negotiations TNA needed years ago.
A major U.S. network could give TNA the second life fans have been hoping for.
Wrestling.news will stay on this story every step of the way—stay locked in to our Headlines section.
