State of the business

Our weekly analysis dives into the key trends shaping the wrestling industry: ratings, attendance, quarter-hours, merchandise rankings, YouTube

Jan 31, 2025

∙ Paid

Rankings for TV ratings

While TV viewership -- offset by changes in household coverage -- may be a reasonable indicator of fan engagement, the ranking of these programs are a more reliable indicator of a program’s media value.

Weekly primetime ranking: P18-49 among cable originals & broadcast
Moving 52-week median, smoothed. Preemptions excluded.

Ranking: Median weekly P18-49 primetime among cable originals & broadcast

Top 100 Primetime telecasts, sorted by P18-49: 7 days beginning Thu Jan 23, 2025 through Wed Jan 29, 2025

Data from Nielsen via Programming Insider

1.) 14.80 - AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON CBS (Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs) | CBS, Sun Jan 26
2.) 5.95 - AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON CBS (Post Game) | CBS, Sun Jan 26
3.) 1.60 - WATSON | CBS, Sun Jan 26
4.) 0.70 - NBA SATURDAY PRIMETIME (Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors) | ABC, Sat Jan 25
5.) 0.48 - CHICAGO PD | NBC, Wed Jan 29
5.) 0.48 - CHICAGO FIRE | NBC, Wed Jan 29
7.) 0.46 - NBA COUNTDOWN | ABC, Sat Jan 25
8.) 0.45 - CHICAGO MED | NBC, Wed Jan 29
9.) 0.44 - WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN | USA, Fri Jan 24
10.) 0.42 - THE NEIGHBORHOOD | CBS, Mon Jan 27
10.) 0.42 - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music) | NBC, Mon Jan 27
10.) 0.42 - THE BACHELOR | ABC, Mon Jan 27
13.) 0.41 - FBI | CBS, Tue Jan 28
14.) 0.40 - LAW & ORDER: SVU | NBC, Thu Jan 23
14.) 0.40 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (Tennessee at Auburn) | ESPN, Sat Jan 25
16.) 0.38 - SHIFTING GEARS | ABC, Wed Jan 29
17.) 0.37 - NCIS | CBS, Mon Jan 27
18.) 0.36 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (Houston at Kansas) | ESPN, Sat Jan 25
19.) 0.35 - HIGH POTENTIAL | ABC, Tue Jan 28
20.) 0.34 - HOLLYWOOD SQUARES | CBS, Thu Jan 23
20.) 0.34 - ABBOTT ELEMENTARY | ABC, Wed Jan 29
20.) 0.34 - NBA REGULAR SEASON (Denver Nuggets at New York Knicks) | ESPN, Wed Jan 29
23.) 0.33 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Thu Jan 23
23.) 0.33 - WWE SATURDAY NIGHT MAIN EVENT | NBC, Sat Jan 25
25.) 0.32 - FBI: MOST WANTED | CBS, Tue Jan 28
25.) 0.32 - SHARK TANK | ABC, Fri Jan 24
27.) 0.31 - FBI: INTERNATIONAL | CBS, Tue Jan 28
27.) 0.31 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Thu Jan 23
27.) 0.31 - NBA BASKETBALL (Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks) | TNT, Thu Jan 23
30.) 0.30 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Fri Jan 24
30.) 0.30 - WILL TRENT | ABC, Tue Jan 28
30.) 0.30 - POPPA’S HOUSE | CBS, Mon Jan 27
30.) 0.30 - HOLLYWOOD SQUARES | CBS, Wed Jan 29
34.) 0.29 - LAW & ORDER | NBC, Thu Jan 23
34.) 0.29 - NCIS: ORIGINS | CBS, Mon Jan 27
34.) 0.29 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Thu Jan 23
34.) 0.29 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (Kentucky at Tennessee) | ESPN, Tue Jan 28
38.) 0.28 - 9-1-1: LONE STAR | FOX, Mon Jan 27
38.) 0.28 - KITCHEN NIGHTMARES | FOX, Tue Jan 28
38.) 0.28 - THE SIMPSONS | FOX, Sun Jan 26
41.) 0.27 - GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE | CBS, Thu Jan 23
41.) 0.27 - THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT | CBS, Wed Jan 29
41.) 0.27 - ST. DENIS MEDICAL | NBC, Tue Jan 28
41.) 0.27 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (NC State at Duke) | ESPN, Mon Jan 27
45.) 0.26 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Fri Jan 24
45.) 0.26 - FOX NEWS AT NIGHT | FOX NEWS, Wed Jan 29
45.) 0.26 - HELL’S KITCHEN | FOX, Thu Jan 23
45.) 0.26 - NBA BASKETBALL (Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ers) | TNT, Tue Jan 28
49.) 0.25 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Fri Jan 24
49.) 0.25 - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE | NBC, Sat Jan 25
51.) 0.24 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Tue Jan 28
51.) 0.24 - 20/20 | ABC, Fri Jan 24
51.) 0.24 - FOUND | NBC, Thu Jan 23
54.) 0.23 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Mon Jan 27
54.) 0.23 - THE ROOKIE | ABC, Tue Jan 28
54.) 0.23 - FOX COLLEGE HOOPS FRIDAY – BIG TEN (Michigan at Purdue) | FOX, Fri Jan 24
54.) 0.23 - NFL PRIMETIME | ESPN, Sun Jan 26
58.) 0.22 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Mon Jan 27
58.) 0.22 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Wed Jan 29
58.) 0.22 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Mon Jan 27
58.) 0.22 - EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION | ABC, Thu Jan 23
58.) 0.22 - UNIVERSAL BASIC GUYS | FOX, Sun Jan 26
63.) 0.21 - GHOSTS | CBS, Thu Jan 23
63.) 0.21 - DOC | FOX, Tue Jan 28
65.) 0.20 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Wed Jan 29
65.) 0.20 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Tue Jan 28
65.) 0.20 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Tue Jan 28
65.) 0.20 - RAID THE CAGE | CBS, Wed Jan 29
65.) 0.20 - GOING DUTCH | FOX, Thu Jan 23
65.) 0.20 - REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS | BRAVO, Tue Jan 28
65.) 0.20 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (North Carolina at Pittsburgh) | ESPN, Tue Jan 28
65.) 0.20 - RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE (Season 17) | MTV, Fri Jan 24
73.) 0.19 - U.S. FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS | NBC, Fri Jan 24
73.) 0.19 - CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! | ABC, Wed Jan 29
73.) 0.19 - RESCUE: HI-SURF | FOX, Mon Jan 27
73.) 0.19 - SPECIAL FORCES: WORLD’S TOUGHEST TEST | FOX, Wed Jan 29
73.) 0.19 - 90 DAY FIANCÉ: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS (Tell All) | TLC, Sun Jan 26
73.) 0.19 - WWE NXT | CW, Tue Jan 28
79.) 0.18 - NEWSNIGHT | CNN, Wed Jan 29
79.) 0.18 - THE SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES | ABC, Mon Jan 27
79.) 0.18 - THE GREAT NORTH | FOX, Sun Jan 26
82.) 0.17 - DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND | NBC, Tue Jan 28
82.) 0.17 - SISTER WIVES | TLC, Sun Jan 26
82.) 0.17 - ANIMAL CONTROL | FOX, Thu Jan 23
82.) 0.17 - AEW DYNAMITE | TBS, Wed Jan 29
86.) 0.16 - MATLOCK | CBS, Thu Jan 23
86.) 0.16 - 90 DAY: THE LAST RESORT | TLC, Mon Jan 27
86.) 0.16 - SOUTHERN CHARM | BRAVO, Thu Jan 23
86.) 0.16 - REAL HOUSEWIVES OF SALT LAKE CITY | BRAVO, Wed Jan 29
90.) 0.15 - NIGHT COURT | NBC, Tue Jan 28
90.) 0.15 - BAYLEN OUT LOUD | TLC, Mon Jan 27
90.) 0.15 - REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC (916 Truth Will Set You Off, The) | BRAVO, Sun Jan 26
90.) 0.15 - REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY | BRAVO, Tue Jan 28
94.) 0.14 - SHIFTING GEARS | ABC, Thu Jan 23
94.) 0.14 - WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY (The Proposal) | ABC, Sun Jan 26
94.) 0.14 - ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING | ABC, Thu Jan 23
94.) 0.14 - OZARK LAW | A&E, Wed Jan 29
98.) 0.13 - AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (So Many Laughs) | ABC, Sun Jan 26
98.) 0.13 - THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND | HISTORY, Tue Jan 28
98.) 0.13 - DATELINE CLASSIC | NBC, Sun Jan 26

TV ratings, year-over-year-comparisons

Annual averages through Jan 29 in each year

Annual averages through Jan 29 in each year

Year-over-year: Total viewership (P2+), live+same-day
Preemptions are excluded. To account for potential seasonality, the latest data for the current year is compared only to data as of the same day of the prior year (rather than comparing the partial current year to the full prior year).

Year-over-year: P18-49, live+same-day

What's the rate of cord-cutting?

The pay TV universe was down about -5% year-over-year in Q3 (July to September 2024), at about 70,700,000 subscribers, down from about 74,600,000 the year prior.

How fast are cable customers cutting the cord? U.S. subscribers to pay TV by carrier.

*Estimate | **Partial estimate. Frontier reports residential subscribers but not commercial subscribers.

This is an estimate by me based on data reported by publicly-traded pay TV carriers (Charter, Comcast, Altice, Cable One, Cogeco, Dish, Verizon, Frontier, Hulu Live TV, Sling and Fubo), as well as estimates for carriers that don't publicly report customers. Notably, this estimate factors in an assumption that YouTube TV is an outlier as one of the few carriers with a growing customer base, and that the service is continuing to gain subscribers at a trajectory consistent with Google’s occasional disclosures about YouTube TV’s number of subscribers. I estimate that YouTube TV now has about 9.5 million subscribers, or 13% of the pay TV universe in the U.S.

Live event attendance

Data source: WrestleTix estimates of tickets distributed

Events this week

Market-to-market performance over time

WWE: "Was attendance higher or lower than the last time in this city (with the same event type)?"

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