According to PWTorch, IMPACT Wrestling is in talks with several major cable channels. All three are upgrades over not just Pop but Destination America as well. All three are arguably on Paramount/Spike TV’s level.
Firstly there’s the most interesting in SyFy. SyFy has shifted gears from when they last had pro wrestling, WWE’s ECW and SmackDown. Originally there was a mandate to make things follow inline with some science fiction and supernatural elements. Yet, as the channel has rebranded itself as a “fandom” network, that will no longer bee an issue.
SyFy is bringing in a variety of new content that features in established fan bases, namely shows like Krypton, Happy!, and getting shows like SVU on their network. IMPACT has a big fanbase, and the pro wrestling fanbasae is pretty unique. It would be a big get for the network.
The other network that works is WGN America. All In’s preshow, with little hype, drew 200,000 fans on the network. WGN and IMPACT have had talks in the past, but nothing serious came out of them. WGN has been wanting a pro wrestling show for a while, and had one for a spell with WWE’s Superstars before the WWE tanked the show. Ring Warriors recently premiered on the network back in September. The show is scheduled to air on Saturday morning’s at 8 a.m.. No word on what IMPACT’s arrival would do to that deal.
Finally, we have TruTV in the mix as well. Still a better option than PopTV in viewership, but they have no track record with pro wrestling. In fact they’re more a reality based network.
The interesting thing to make mention is Pop TV doesn’t want to lose IMPACT. They are willing to extend their deal I’m told for another year, just as long as they stay at the 10-12 p.m. EST time slot. IMPACT wants either 8-10 or 9-11 time slot. If a deal can’t be made with WGN, SyFy or TruTV, IMPACT will apparently elect to stay on Pop TV.
PopTV is bringing on AroLucha to air on the network, and I’m told that PopTV is optimistic about having both brands on their network, even if only for a few weeks.