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AEW FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST FORMER STREAMING PARTNER TRILLER TV, FLIPPS MEDIA/FITE SAYS OWNER TRILLERTV HAS ABANDONED THEIR COMPANY

AEW has officially filed suit against TrillerTV and parent company Triller Group, Inc., alleging the streaming distributor failed to pay nearly $5 million tied to AEW PPV buys and the now-defunct AEW Plus subscription service that was aimed at international markets.  AEW Plus has since been replaced by MyAEW.com, which the promotion launched themselves earlier this year.

POSTWrestling was the first to report on the lawsuit was filed April 29 in Duval County, Florida with AEW alleges Triller Group diverted revenue generated from AEW programming toward other company ventures instead of paying the wrestling promotion what it was contractually owed.

AEW is claiming in the filing that Triller Group used money generated through AEW content distribution to cover broader company operating expenses, including investment into a another social media platform effort that ultimately failed to gain traction.

The lawsuit also revealed several financial details regarding the AEW-Triller relationship, citing that AEW accounted for 24% of all Triller Group revenue in 2024, based on SEC disclosures.  There was a revenue sharing agreement between the two sides with AEW reportedly being paid 75% of net domestic PPV revenue and 65% of international PPV revenue based on an agreement dating back to 2019.  For AEW Plus, AEW received 60% of the net revenue, with Triller retaining 40%.

AEW is alleging Triller exploited delays between customer purchases and required payment deadlines to withhold funds. The company claims written payment demands were issued in January and March 2025.  An April 2026 demand letter claimed Triller owed AEW $4,988,989.13, with the amount continuing to accrue interest at 2% per month under the terms of  the 2019 agreement.

The legal action comes as Triller itself appears to be facing major financial instability.  PWInsider.com can confirm a number of staffers have departed the service in recent weeks.

PostWrestling.com is also reporting that in a separate lawsuit filed in Delaware Chancery Court weeks earlier, Flipps Media Inc.,  the corporate entity behind TrillerTV (formerly known as FITE before Triller acquired it) has now described itself as insolvent and unable to pay debts. That filing states the company currently lacks a functioning board of directors, preventing it from pursuing bankruptcy protection. Flipps is asking the court to recognize company officers as acting directors so it can evaluate bankruptcy options.  As of this writing, TrillerTV remains active, although Pro Wrestling Revolver also recently departed the platform as well.  The number two money-maker for the platform prior to the departure of AEW was Game Changer Wrestling, which remains associated with TrillerTV as of this writing.

Based on the PostWrestling.com report, The Flipps filing also paints a picture of a company largely abandoned by its parent organization. Current operations are reportedly being overseen by CEO Kostadin Jordanov (who founded Flipps) and President/COO Eric Winter.  

FITE originally launched in 2016 before Triller acquired a majority stake in 2022 before outright purchasing the platform.  There have been attempts for months to extricate it and return it, under the FITE name, as an independent entity, but whether the right deal can be struck remains to be seen.  There have been interested buyers but one of the major hurdles has been the amount of debt TrillerTV has accrued since taking over the former FITE and how those owed money could be made whole.

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