State of the Business
Latest insights on WWE and AEW's TV ratings, rankings, attendance, and more
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 30, 2025 through Wed Feb 5, 2025
Data from Nielsen via Programming Insider
1.) 3.91 - GRAMMY AWARDS | CBS, Sun Feb 2
2.) 0.64 - NBA SATURDAY PRIMETIME (Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks) | ABC, Sat Feb 1
3.) 0.56 - NASCAR RACING (Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray) | FOX, Sun Feb 2
4.) 0.53 - THE VOICE | NBC, Mon Feb 3
5.) 0.51 - NASCAR RACEDAY (Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray) | FOX, Sun Feb 2
5.) 0.51 - WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN | USA, Fri Jan 31
7.) 0.49 - NBA REGULAR SEASON (Memphis/Milwaukee) | ESPN, Sun Feb 2
8.) 0.48 - CHICAGO MED | NBC, Wed Feb 5
9.) 0.43 - CHICAGO FIRE | NBC, Wed Feb 5
10.) 0.42 - GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE | CBS, Thu Jan 30
10.) 0.42 - NBA BASKETBALL (Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers) | TNT, Tue Feb 4
12.) 0.41 - THE BACHELOR | ABC, Mon Feb 3
12.) 0.41 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (Arkansas/Kentucky) | ESPN, Sat Feb 1
14.) 0.40 - SHIFTING GEARS | ABC, Wed Feb 5
15.) 0.39 - FBI | CBS, Tue Feb 4
15.) 0.39 - GHOSTS | CBS, Thu Jan 30
17.) 0.38 - CHICAGO PD | NBC, Wed Feb 5
17.) 0.38 - HOLLYWOOD SQUARES | CBS, Wed Feb 5
17.) 0.38 - ABBOTT ELEMENTARY | ABC, Wed Feb 5
20.) 0.37 - THE NEIGHBORHOOD | CBS, Mon Feb 3
21.) 0.36 - SUPER BOWL GREAT COMMRCL | CBS, Wed Feb 5
21.) 0.36 - NBA REGULAR SEASON (San Antonio Spurs at Atlanta Hawks) | ESPN, Wed Feb 5
23.) 0.35 - HIGH POTENTIAL | ABC, Tue Feb 4
24.) 0.34 - FBI: INTERNATIONAL | CBS, Tue Feb 4
24.) 0.34 - LAW & ORDER | NBC, Thu Jan 30
24.) 0.34 - LAW & ORDER: SVU | NBC, Thu Jan 30
24.) 0.34 - 9-1-1: LONE STAR | FOX, Mon Feb 3
24.) 0.34 - KITCHEN NIGHTMARES | FOX, Tue Feb 4
29.) 0.33 - MATLOCK | CBS, Thu Jan 30
29.) 0.33 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Mon Feb 3
29.) 0.33 - POPPA’S HOUSE | CBS, Mon Feb 3
32.) 0.32 - WILL TRENT | ABC, Tue Feb 4
32.) 0.32 - COLLEGE GAMEDAY (Basketball: Durham, NC) | ESPN, Sat Feb 1
34.) 0.31 - NCIS | CBS, Mon Feb 3
34.) 0.31 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Fri Jan 31
34.) 0.31 - HAPPY’S PLACE | NBC, Fri Jan 31
34.) 0.31 - ST. DENIS MEDICAL | NBC, Tue Feb 4
34.) 0.31 - FOX COLLEGE HOOPS FRIDAY – BIG TEN (Indiana at Purdue) | FOX, Fri Jan 31
39.) 0.30 - FBI: MOST WANTED | CBS, Tue Feb 4
39.) 0.30 - FIRE COUNTRY | CBS, Fri Jan 31
39.) 0.30 - SHARK TANK | ABC, Fri Jan 31
39.) 0.30 - AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS | ABC, Sun Feb 2
39.) 0.30 - HELL’S KITCHEN | FOX, Thu Jan 30
44.) 0.29 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Wed Feb 5
45.) 0.28 - NCIS: ORIGINS | CBS, Mon Feb 3
45.) 0.28 - LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ | NBC, Fri Jan 31
45.) 0.28 - NBA REGULAR SEASON (Denver Nuggets at Philadelphia 76ers) | ESPN, Fri Jan 31
48.) 0.27 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (owa State at Kansas) | ESPN, Mon Feb 3
49.) 0.26 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Thu Jan 30
49.) 0.26 - JESSE WATTERS PRIMETIME | FOX NEWS, Tue Feb 4
49.) 0.26 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Mon Feb 3
49.) 0.26 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Mon Feb 3
53.) 0.25 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Tue Feb 4
53.) 0.25 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Thu Jan 30
53.) 0.25 - CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! | ABC, Wed Feb 5
56.) 0.24 - GUTFELD! | FOX NEWS, Wed Feb 5
56.) 0.24 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Thu Jan 30
56.) 0.24 - S.W.A.T. | CBS, Fri Jan 31
56.) 0.24 - NIGHT COURT | NBC, Tue Feb 4
60.) 0.23 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Wed Feb 5
60.) 0.23 - DEAL OR NO DEAL ISLAND | NBC, Tue Feb 4
62.) 0.22 - ELSBETH | CBS, Thu Jan 30
62.) 0.22 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Tue Feb 4
62.) 0.22 - THE ROOKIE | ABC, Tue Feb 4
62.) 0.22 - DATELINE | NBC, Fri Jan 31
66.) 0.21 - HANNITY | FOX NEWS, Fri Jan 31
66.) 0.21 - FOUND | NBC, Thu Jan 30
66.) 0.21 - DOC | FOX, Tue Feb 4
66.) 0.21 - EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION | ABC, Thu Jan 30
66.) 0.21 - THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND | HISTORY, Tue Feb 4
66.) 0.21 - SPECIAL FORCES: WORLD’S TOUGHEST TEST | FOX, Wed Feb 5
66.) 0.21 - COLLEGE BASKETBALL REGULAR SEASON (Kentucky at Ole Miss) | ESPN, Tue Feb 4
73.) 0.20 - 20/20 | ABC, Fri Jan 31
73.) 0.20 - INSIDE THE 67TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS | CBS, Fri Jan 31
73.) 0.20 - AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS | ABC, Sun Feb 2
73.) 0.20 - RAID THE CAGE | CBS, Wed Feb 5
73.) 0.20 - RESCUE: HI-SURF | FOX, Mon Feb 3
73.) 0.20 - REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS | BRAVO, Tue Feb 4
73.) 0.20 - WWE NXT | CW, Tue Feb 4
80.) 0.18 - THE HUNTING PARTY | NBC, Mon Feb 3
80.) 0.18 - 48 HOURS | CBS, Sat Feb 1
80.) 0.18 - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE | NBC, Sat Feb 1
80.) 0.18 - NBA BASKETBALL (Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers) | TNT, Thu Jan 30
80.) 0.18 - RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE (Season 17) | MTV, Fri Jan 31
85.) 0.17 - FOX NEWS AT NIGHT | FOX NEWS, Fri Jan 31
85.) 0.17 - ANDERSON COOPER 360 | CNN, Fri Jan 31
85.) 0.17 - 90 DAY FIANCÉ: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS (Tell All) | TLC, Sun Feb 2
85.) 0.17 - AEW DYNAMITE | TBS, Wed Feb 5
89.) 0.16 - DATELINE CLASSIC | NBC, Sun Feb 2
89.) 0.16 - SISTER WIVES | TLC, Sun Feb 2
89.) 0.16 - NEWSNIGHT | CNN, Fri Jan 31
89.) 0.16 - REAL HOUSEWIVES OF POTOMAC (917 All Bark, No Bite) | BRAVO, Sun Feb 2
89.) 0.16 - NBA REGULAR SEASON (Houston Rockets at New York Knicks) | NBA TV, Mon Feb 3
94.) 0.15 - LIFE INTERRUPTED: ISABELL | ABC, Wed Feb 5
94.) 0.15 - THE IRRATIONAL | NBC, Tue Feb 4
94.) 0.15 - AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS | ABC, Sun Feb 2
94.) 0.15 - SCAMANDA | ABC, Thu Jan 30
94.) 0.15 - ANIMAL CONTROL | FOX, Thu Jan 30
94.) 0.15 - NBA COUNTDOWN | ABC, Sat Feb 1
94.) 0.15 - THE SECRET LIVES OF MORMON WIVES | ABC, Mon Feb 3
TV ratings, year-over-year-comparisons
Annual averages through Feb 5 in each year
Annual averages through Feb 5 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)?"
AEW: "Was attendance higher or lower than the last time in this city (with the same event type)?"
High-performing YouTube highlights
These were selected from WWE and AEW's official YouTube channels, based on being in the top 10 percentile for the channel for the trailing year, and having been published within the trailing seven days. Re-release archival matches and full show highlights were excluded (but not full segments).
NXT wasn’t considered in this listing as we don’t have the data for the latest episode yet.
High-performing quarter-hours:
I selected the following quarter-hours arbitrarily but with the assistance of four different mathematical tests. In the interest of avoiding confirmation bias, the selections were made while the content labels were hidden from me, though the program, network, and time slots were visible to me--and that being said, it's not impossible to remember what content was in what time slot. The four tests were based on (1) growth from the prior quarter-hour (if applicable), (2) viewership compared to the quarter-hour's episode average, (3) growth in the prior quarter-hour (as quarter-hours that follow big gains tend to lose viewers and vice versa) and (4) Z-scores (predicted versus actual). In all four tests, ad breaks and time slot were taken into account.
In the future, this will be a 7-day update, but since this is the first one, we'll use the trailing month as the timeline this time.
For quarter-hours Nov. 20 to Dec. 20, 2024:
Smackdown: Fri, Jan 31, 2025: 8:15 - 8:30 PM
Kevin Owens, CM Punk live promo cont.; The Miz, Andrade backstage angle; Carmelo Hayes live promo; Jimmy Uso vs. Hayes.
Total viewers (P2+): 1.749M, +11% than episode average. +12% from prior quarter-hour.
P18-49 rating: 0.55, +8%. +16%.
Ad breaks: 0
Smackdown: Fri, Jan 31, 2025: 9:30 - 9:45 PM
DIY vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Los Garza vs. Motor City Machine Guns cont.; ad break; Tama Tonga, DIY, Pretty Deadly backstage angle; Tyrese Haliburton interview; Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes video.
Total viewers (P2+): 1.648M, +4% than episode average. +3% from prior quarter-hour.
P18-49 rating: 0.55, +8%. +7%.
Ad breaks: 1
Dynamite: Wed, Feb 5, 2025: 9:15 - 9:30 PM
MJF, Max Caster, Adam Page, Dustin Rhodes live angle; ad break; entrances.
Total viewers (P2+): 622k, +3% than episode average. +11% from prior quarter-hour.
P18-49 rating: 0.18, +7%. +14%.
Ad breaks: 1
High-performing YouTube highlights
These were selected from WWE and AEW's official YouTube channels, based on being in the top 10 percentile for the channel for the trailing year, and having been published within the trailing seven days. Re-release archival matches and full show highlights were excluded (but not full segments).
World Wrestling Entertainment
Feb 1 - John Cena makes final Royal Rumble entrance of his career: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 1323k
Feb 1 - Alexa Bliss is BACK with first appearance since 2023: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 1230k
Feb 1 - Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens – Undisputed WWE Title Ladder Match: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 1157k
Feb 1 - SAY HIS NAME: Joe Hendry appears at the Royal Rumble: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 1053k
Feb 1 - 2025 Women's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 994k
Feb 1 - Jey Uso wins the Men's Royal Rumble Match: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 957k
Feb 1 - Seth Rollins snaps on Roman Reigns and CM Punk after elimination: Royal Rumble 2025 highlights: 863k
Feb 1 - EVERY entrant in the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble Match: 862k
All Elite Wrestling
Feb 1 - Mid-South Street Fight! FTR vs Death Riders' AEW World Champ Moxley & Yuta! | 2/1/25, AEW Collisio: 339k
Feb 5 - AEW World Tag Champions, Hurt Syndicate are confronted by the returning Gunns! | 2/5/25 AEW Dynamite: 337k
Feb 5 - Swerve Strickland & Ricochet FINALLY CLASH in a brutal battle! | 2/5/25, AEW Dynamite: 253k
Feb 5 - MJF & ROH World Tag Champion Dustin Rhodes have a war of words! | 2/5/25, AEW Dynamite: 253k
Merchandise
Items that have appeared most frequently in online shops' top sellers listings in the last 7 days.
7-Day Window: WWEShop apparel items listed highly on 'Top Sellers' page
7 days from Feb 1, 2025 to Feb 7, 2025
7-Day Window: ShopAEW items listed highly on 'Top Sellers' page
7 days from Feb 1, 2025 to Feb 7, 2025
