All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Dynamite’s big streaming debut on Max was hyped as a game-changer but it ended up pinning fans to frustration instead.
The show kicked off with flair: a slick new intro featuring The Pointer Sisters and a sharper, upgraded presentation.
But the excitement was quickly overshadowed by commercials, even for viewers subscribed to Max’s ad-free tier.
Namely, Max entirely hit pause on the action during ad breaks for full-screen commercials, bringing a crushing disappointment for viewers accustomed to uninterrupted streaming on platforms like Fite TV.
For a company that has leveraged digital marketing to engage its audience, the sudden shift in user experience felt like a misstep.
Social media erupted as fans voiced their outrage, turning a much-anticipated debut into a heated online debate.
The Public Outrage
It is important to recognize the cautionary tale in the case of AEW as fans were quick to convey their anger on the social media platform Bluesky, with users voicing their complaints with Max.
I'm not surprised, but I am gonna complain about having ads on my ad free version of Max. #AEWDynamite
— SilkyZubat (@silkyzubat.bsky.social) January 2, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Max isn’t new to AEW content, having hosted Dynamite episodes from 2019 to 2024. Now, the streaming platform is stepping up, promising over 700 hours of AEW programming, including Dynamite, Collision, Rampage, and pay-per-view archives, all on a rolling basis.
In a recent press release, Warner Bros. Discovery and AEW announced details of their new multi-platform media rights agreement that would see the wrestling content coming to subscription platform Max from January 1, 2025.
While AEW Dynamite and Collision remain exclusive to Warner Bros. Discovery networks, Max subscribers in the US can stream the shows on demand.
Despite the buzz around this deal, AEW, Max, and Warner Bros. Discovery have yet to address the backlash over the ad controversy.
This isn’t the first time a major sports league has teamed up with a streaming giant — earlier this year, Netflix and Fox Sports also brought live sports to global audiences.
