AEW President Tony Khan quickly acted to restore the live broadcast of ROH’s Death by Dishonor event after a technical failure interrupted the livestream. On the night of the event, the streaming service provider Brightcove experienced a crash that affected viewers across popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox, temporarily preventing access to matches.
ROH fans typically access these events through the Honor Club, an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service exclusive to the promotion. In response to the outage, Khan announced that the event would be streamed live for free on ROH’s YouTube channel and extended a one-month credit to all current Honor Club subscribers as compensation for the inconvenience.
Due to issues with service provider Brightcove, who haven’t yet given a timeframe for stream repair, I’ve put #ROHDBD streaming FREE on the ROH YouTube live NOW. For this inconvenience of tonight’s stream issue, we’ll offer a free one-month credit to all current ROH subscribers— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) August 30, 2025
Tony Khan Discusses the Incident and Community Reaction
Following the event, Tony Khan addressed the situation during a media scrum, explaining his decision to make the show free on YouTube. He emphasized that the move helped new viewers discover ROH while reassuring fans that he would hold the streaming provider Brightcove accountable for the failure.
So I said, ‘You know, if it’s affecting those people, everybody should be able to just watch it for free on YouTube’ and we’ll rectify it with the streaming provider, Brightcove, that was responsible… The show we delivered was fantastic, and then I think new fans must have seen it. It was a well-received choice. People thought it was a good thing to do, and you know, that’s a lot of money — a month of subscriptions — I’m not gonna lie to you. We have thousands of thousands of subscribers. That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars that I’m gonna eat with a month subscription but it’s okay, because we made new fans. I’ll rectify it with the people responsible on the other end and the fans got a great show tonight and it seemed like almost unanimously positive response on social media… “
Khan’s swift response gained positive feedback across social media, with many praising his commitment to the fans despite the financial impact on the promotion. The gesture was intended both to reward loyal subscribers and to potentially expand ROH’s audience by drawing new fans through free access to the event.
Context of AEW and ROH’s Streaming History
AEW’s use of YouTube for livestreaming is not new, as the promotion previously aired weekly programs such as Dark and Elevation exclusively on its OTT platform before later dissolving it after signing a broadcast deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. Tony Khan’s choice to turn to YouTube again for ROH’s Death by Dishonor highlights the flexibility of digital streaming in wrestling entertainment.
The incident also underlines the risks associated with relying on third-party streaming providers like Brightcove, whose technical issues can disrupt viewership during critical live events. Khan’s handling of the situation in real-time demonstrated leadership and a customer-focused approach to maintaining fan trust.
Long-Term Impact of Khan’s Intervention
Tony Khan’s decision to offer free live streaming and subscription credits underscores the importance of reliable delivery methods for live wrestling content and fan engagement. By addressing the problem openly and compensating subscribers, Khan strengthened both ROH’s reputation and its relationship with viewers.
This approach may set a precedent for how wrestling promotions respond to streaming failures going forward, balancing immediate corrective action with longer-term strategic outreach. As the wrestling industry continues to integrate digital platforms, such responses could become standard practice for handling technical difficulties during major events.
