All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, Dynamite, continued a troubling ratings skid this week. The March 27 episode took a serious hit as the show fell to a low they hadn’t experienced since 2021.
March 27’s episode of Dynamite averaged just 747,000 viewers. The show scored a P18-49 rating of 0.23. According to data from the Wrestlenomics Patreon, that’s the lowest-recorded viewing audience since April 7, 2021. Their demo score of 0.23 was even more jarringly low, their lowest mark since June 24, 2020.
AEW’s numbers dropped by seven percent from 800,000 last week and by seven percent over the past four weeks. Year-over-year, their current Q1 average is down sharply from last year by six percent, and their monthly average is down by a whopping 10 percent.
📺 TV RATINGS ARE IN
AEW Dynamite last night on TBShttps://t.co/23XKCs3ilr
— Wrestlenomics (@wrestlenomics) March 28, 2024
According to Wrestlenomics, their demo ratings are even more challenging to read than last week and the previous four weeks, as they fell by 15 and 16 percent.
In some ways, it’s eye-popping that Dynamite ratings continue to descend sharply. This is not a new problem for AEW, but one that perhaps hasn’t received much attention. But after the company extravagantly went and signed three top free agents, that attention might heighten as their ratings descend.
In 2024, AEW Dynamite has averaged 801,000 viewers. A closer look reveals that the show hasn’t recorded over 830,000 viewers since January 24, when they averaged 837,000 viewers. Since then, it’s been a slow descent, and they can’t escape. Even their touted ‘Big Business’ show two weeks ago, where Mercedes Mone debuted, didn’t draw numbers comparable to their previously titled shows.
The titled shows have frequently been a draw, mainly because it’s a straightforward way to draw attention to your show. “Winter is Coming” drew 845,000 viewers in December, down sharply from 950,000 viewers in 2022, for example.
Additionally, one other trend continued once again this week. The opening quarter-hour featuring Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata scored the highest quarter-hour rating of the show at 939,000 viewers with a 0.26 P18-49 rating. The quarter-hour from 8-8:15 p.m. on Dynamite has averaged 981,615 viewers this year. The ensuing quarter-hour from 8:15-8:30 p.m. averages 859,692, a 13 percent drop. This has not only been the average, but it’s continually happening week after week, including this week. The ensuing quarter-hour on March 27 averaged 802,000 viewers, a 15-percent drop.
While WWE barrels towards its annual WrestleMania extravaganza, AEW is in an interesting place. They’ve clearly done well enough to stick their feet in and withstand for nearly five years. But you have to ask at some point, “What more can you do?” They’ve signed a bevy of free agents, but nothing compelling continues to come out of it regarding tangible viewership and interest gains. While they continue figuring it out, these trends don’t stop anytime soon.
[Data from Wrestlenomics]
