AEW Dynamite Ratings Report: Lowest cable rating in over one year, 21 percent drop in key demo

Last night’s (5/17) episode of AEW Dynamite on TBS drew an average of 814,000 viewers, down from 877,000 the prior week. Dynamite has averaged 884,000 this year through 20 weeks. Last year through 20 weeks, the average was 971,000. So Dynamite is averaging 87,000 fewer viewers this year than last year so far, a drop of 9 percent.

The cable rating last night was 0.57, down from 0.61 the prior week and the lowest since March 2 last year. The average rating this year is 0.64. The average last year through 20 weeks was 0.68. It’s a drop of 5 percent (when not rounding the average ratings to the nearest hundredth).

In the key 18-49 demographic, Dynamite drew a 0.28 rating, down from 0.32 last week. The average through 20 weeks this year is 0.29. The average through 20 weeks last year was 0.37. That’s a drop of 21 percent.

In that 18-49 demo, Dynamite finished no. 7 for the night on cable in the ShowbuzzDaily rankings, behind the NBA Playoffs on TNT, the NBA pre-game and post-game shows on TNT, and several reality series on Bravo.

Last night’s episode added several matches to the AEW Double or Nothing line-up, including a show-closing angle with “Hangman” Adam Page returning to The Elite. The advertised main events were Chris Jericho vs. Roderick Strong, Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, and The Outcasts vs. Britt Baker & Hikaru Shida.

PWTorch editor Wade Keller has covered pro wrestling since 1987. He has been a guest on the Steve Austin Show as an analyst of current events and pro wrestling history 40 times, making more appearances than any other guest. He currently hosts the “Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast” and “Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show” along with several PWTorch VIP-exclusive podcasts every week. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for “Excellence in Writing on Professional Wrestling” in 2015. He hosted “The Ultimate Insiders” DVD series in the 2000s including long-from studio interviews in Los Angeles, Calif. with Matt & Jeff Hardy and Vince Russo & Ed Ferrara. He has interviewed more big name wrestlers and promoters in long-form insider interviews over the last 35 years for the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter, usually in the “Torch Talk” transcribed Q&A format, than any pro wrestling reporter. The list of those he has interviewed include Steve Austin, The Rock, Vince McMahon, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Eric Bischoff, Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, Jesse Ventura, Drew McIntyre, Brian Gewirtz, Paul Heyman, Mick Foley, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Jon Moxley, and dozens of other top stars and influential promoters and bookers/creative team members.