WWE has been in the sports entertainment industry for decades now. Many other pro wrestling promotions came following that have tried to mimic its success. While few stood the test of time, and few others failed, not many were to reap the same results as that of WWE. In recent times, one such major competitor for WWE is AEW.
There has been a cold war brewing between the two promotions. While the higher-ups might not agree to it, there has been a war for ratings between the two companies. While WWE has been giving a tough fight to AEW, Warner Bros, who airs the shows of AEW has released a statement talking about AEW’s performance for 2023.
How did AEW perform in 2023?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In a screenshot shared by Sean Ross Sapp on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Sapp stated that the media giant posted a press release talking about how good AEW’s performance was in 2023. The report stated that Warner Bros Discovery-owned TBS and TNT have wrapped a “stellar year.” According to the said report, while TBS has been airing AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights and TNT has been airing AEW Rampage on Fridays, the addition of AEW Collision on TNT has been a milestone achieved by the network.
WBD just posted another press release touting the success of AEW properties. pic.twitter.com/UJGySkwDaL
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) January 12, 2024
Apart from that, it was also stated that the AEW shows on TBS and TNT were ranked in the top 10 seventy-two times in the under 50 years category. This category is considered a key demographic, especially in the sports entertainment industry. Out of the 72 times, almost fifty times the shows were ranked in the top 5.
Apart from that, AEW saw one more progress in the previous year. It was stated that the viewership increased by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2023 as compared to 2022. In 2023, AEW saw a net viewership of 15.6 million viewers.
While 2023 was a successful year for AEW, the report stated that the Jacksonville-based promotion kicked off the new year with another milestone.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
How AEW Started 2024
The year 2024 has been a good one for AEW. According to the reports, the January 3, 2024 episode of AEW Dynamite was received well by the fans. The episode was the most-watched live sports entertainment show on that night in the 25-45 years of age demographic. Apart from that, it was the second-most-watched show in the 18-49 years category.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The reports were revealed in the midst of an ongoing internet war between Tony Khan and critics of his social media behavior. For those who are unaware, Khan got into a bit of a trouble after he called out WWE for what he believes is a bad booking. Following that, he has been in the news as many fans and few people from WWE have responded to it. Do you think the recent incident involving Tony Khan will have an impact on AEW’s viewership?
Watch This Story – 5 Deserving WWE Stars Who Never Main Evented WrestleMania