Networks React To Revised AEW & WWE Nielsen Numbers
Despite both WWE and AEW making strides in the world of streaming over the past year, with "WWE Raw" now calling Netflix home, while AEW is a focal point of live coverage on HBO MAX, TV ratings still mean a lot to both companies. With that in mind, the recent change in the way Nielsen calculates its ratings has taken a toll on wrestling shows across the board. The new "Big Data + Panel" method (as opposed to the old "Panel" method) has seen a sharp drop in viewership for both WWE and AEW over the past week, and in a new report from Fightful Select, it seems that there are a lot questions about how this could affect wrestling on TV going forward.
Fightful confirmed that the new ratings system is being heavily monitored across the major wrestling companies as they are the ones who have the most to lose from it. An source from within AEW stated that company President Tony Khan is aware of the changes and how they work thanks to his passion for statistics, meaning that he will be adept at what they mean and how to combat them. AEW has the benefit of being simulcast on HBO MAX, but those viewing figures are being kept under wraps despite reports claiming that around 500,000 people stream "AEW Dynamite" and "AEW Collision" weekly.
A source at Warner Brothers Discovery was asked about the changes, but they believe it is too early to suggest anything as the sample size is still too small, and that both AEW and WWE were heavily affected by going up against the Major League Baseball games that happened this week. Baseball is just one of the sports that has actually benefited from this new method, as has college football and the NFL, but the WBD source still believes that they will need to see a stronger pattern emerge before any real changes can be made. When the subject of cancellation was brought up, the WBD source reportedly laughed it off by saying that the topic gets brought up all the time but that it is never considered.
According to the WBD source, one benefit of the new method for AEW is that it effectively kills the use of fast national data, the initial numbers that were released first to give an indication of how a show had performed. The reason for this is because it adds an extra day of delay to get the Nielsen numbers, meaning the WWE method of providing AEW's fast national data to members of the media if the number was low can no longer be done as the fast national data won't be a true representation of what the final national data will be.
What Is The Reaction From Within WWE?
Even though "WWE Raw" is globally available on Netflix, "WWE NXT" and "WWE SmackDown" still air on The CW and the USA Network respectively, and Fightful Select reached out to both networks to see what they thought of the recent changes.
A contact at the USA Network told Fightful that the change is being discussed, and that it could mean that wrestling isn't as hot as what many people originally believed. However, they are against the idea that the "Panel" data method overestimated the viewing patterns of wrestling fans, and that the data they have analyzed in recent years shows no real need to be concerned right now. The USA contact clarified that wrestling has given them a return on investment for very low costs over the past few decades, hence why they love doing business with WWE, and that doesn't look to be changing any time soon.
Fightful did not hear back from The CW representative about the matter, but it has been widely known that the network was happy with how "NXT" was performing, and that they were always going to add wrestling to their schedule before they had even started negotiating with WWE. One concern that a source from within WWE did have about the situation was that it could impact TNA's ability to land a good TV deal, which the company are currently looking for. However, company President Carlos Silva told Fightful that they have an important call this week, and that the new Nielsen method hasn't been brought up during recent negotiations. As for the talent, Fightful was told that they have experienced more adjustments to their schedules than usual, but it has largely unaffected them.