Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that NJPW turned down a chance to have programming on AXS TV in favor of going to the Roku Channel. They debuted on the Roku Channel back on February 11.
When the deal was announced, it was reported that this happened because NJPW is looking for a bigger network. Because NJPW’s deal with Roki isn’t exclusive, NJPW can still look for one. If they signed with AXS, it would be exclusive.
NJPW is still in talks with AXS, along with several other US networks.