A new report suggests that views for AEW Dynamite are higher than fans may realize. And they aren’t far off from what WWE is drawing for Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
After getting off to a fast start and taking the professional wrestling industry by storm, things have been tough at times for AEW over the last few years. The creative direction of the company has not been as effective during a time where its top competitor, WWE, is hitting on all cylinders when it comes to storytelling.
It led to a huge decline in television ratings and ticket sales over the last two years. It has also created a mass exodus of talented wrestlers like Penta, Rey Fenix, Malakai Black, Ethan Page, and Shawn Spears to WWE. However, over the last 12 months, there has been a concerted effort to adjust the creative strategy to bring back fans.
In recent weeks, it seems like things have been more positive in terms of ratings and arena attendance. However, on Monday, SE Scoops reported that the numbers since AEW Dynamite began to simulcast on Max have been much better than fans realize.
“All-Elite Wrestling is averaging around 500,000 viewers for its Wednesday Dynamite show on the MAX streaming platform since the show debuted on the app this year, according to sources,” the outlet claimed. “Combined with live cable numbers, this would give Dynamite an average of around 1 to 1.2 million viewers per episode since it was added to the streaming service.”
Is AEW Dynamite earning similar watch numbers as WWE Raw?
Adding to the positive news was an interesting opinion from Wrestling Observer reporter Dave Meltzer. While he questions the numbers, he believes that now puts AEW Dynamite in a place where they are garnering numbers similar to WWE Raw on Netflix.
“Given VPs at MAX and WBD don’t have access to numbers, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions,” he began by saying [h/t NoDQ]. “MAX is far less popular than Netflix and Raw in the U.S. And if this is accurate, they are neck and neck in theory with Raw if you combine streaming and TV. So to me, there’s cause for skepticism.
“If real, the first week of March, Dynamite would be 1.1 million and Raw 984,000, and I don’t accept that as likely. Since the [John] Cena turn, it would be Raw still ahead, but not by much.”
Netflix does not release official numbers of views. So the numbers Meltzer has are based on speculatory sites. Plus, watching Raw on Netflix requires a subscription. The same can be said about Max, but it isn’t the bulk of AEW’s audience. Either way, if AEW is pulling in over a million views per week for their flagship show, that is a rock-solid number.
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