AEW records huge audience spike after weeks of struggle

AEW has been struggling to draw viewers for most of the year. Their audience has consistently slipped week-on-week. However, there was a slight glimmer of hope in mid-July when the product began to heat up around Blood & Guts. Unfortunately for Tony Khan's company, viewership immediately slipped once the Paris Olympics began.

Wednesday's episode of Dynamite saw a significant surge in viewers, ranking the show as the most-watched thing on cable during its timeslot. According to Wrestling Observer, Dynamite pulled in 703 thousand viewers. That spike will be welcomed news for Khan, who is negotiating a new TV rights deal with Warner Brothers Discovery. 

"Wednesday night’s AEW Dynamite episode averaged 703,000 viewers on TBS, up 13 percent from last week. It’s the best audience total for the show since the July 24 Blood & Guts special," Paul Fontaine wrote.

Nevertheless, Khan's company has some ground to make up for this, as it has drawn 19.6% fewer viewers than last year. Part of that issue is likely the resurgence of WWE, while AEW's limited storytelling and poor booking have been a recent area of criticism. 

"As compared to the same week in 2023, Dynamite’s overall viewership was down 19.6 percent while its 18-49 rating was down 28.1 percent," Fontaine continued. 

AEW's sudden bounce back coincides with the upcoming All-In pay-per-view, which will take place at Wembley Arena in London. They have done a solid job of building toward their flagship, even with better storylines and some exceptional in-ring matches. Furthermore, AEW has begun to expand its approach on social media, which could help drive its viewership ratings in the coming weeks and months. 

For now, though, a surge in viewership will help Khan secure a new TV deal and generate an influx of cash for the company. Still, AEW should continue pushing Dyaminte to get back to 1 million viewers for each episode of Dynamite. Otherwise, questions about the company's long-term future will persist.