AEW Taping Collision Has Negatively Impacted Weekly Viewership

AEW needs to consider a lot of things, including how to keep fans interested so they tune into the company’s weekly shows. Collision has seen a downtrend in viewership, and there could be a lot of reasons for that. One big variable could be the fact that they are pre-taping the show.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that taped Collision episodes have had an impact on ratings. The difference compared to live broadcasts has been noticeable. That being said, it has affected the show’s viewership.

The current Collision numbers illustrate the ongoing challenges in retaining an audience, and Tony Khan’s company may have an issue if they want to continue taping Collision on Thursdays.

This year, the contrast between live and taped shows for Collision and SmackDown is more evident, though it remains manageable from AEW’s perspective. They are now taping Collision on a weekly basis to help out their talent, but it isn’t doing anything positive for viewership.

AEW Collision has experienced a significant drop in viewership since its debut. The show launched on June 17, 2023, with 816,000 viewers, but the number fell in a big way to 595,000 by the second episode. This sharp decline set the tone for a consistent downward trend in the months that followed.

Recent episodes show further declines in viewership. On October 19, 2024, the show drew 346,000 viewers. This dropped to 321,000 on October 26, 2024. Viewership rebounded slightly to 349,000 on November 2, 2024, but fell again to 332,000 on November 9, 2024. We will have to see how AEW handles this situation with Collision, but their viewership has certainly taken a hit in the process.