AEW ratings continue to fall, and it’s going to get worse

The ratings and viewership data are in for this week’s (May 19) episode of AEW Dynamite.

Per Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer, Dynamite netted 821,000 viewers for a 0.28 rating point in the 18-49 demographic.

This is a drop of about 115,000 viewers from the prior week, and a decline from last week’s 0.31 demo rating.

Following a couple episodes loaded with huge matches, last night’s episode of Dynamite didn’t include any obvious main event type matches. For example, the Varsity Blonds wrestled in the main event even though I don’t believe they’ve ever won a match on Dynamite. That doesn’t mean it was a bad episode, but it does mean there was less of a hook than usual to tune in.

The NBA playoffs are also starting up, and that will take eyeballs away from both WWE and AEW wrestling shows throughout the week. The NBA playoffs are about to wreak havoc on Dynamite’s television schedule for the next two to five weeks, so it’s reasonable to expect even worse numbers for AEW at some point over the next month.

Here’s a breakdown of AEW viewership and rating in the 18-49 demo over the last year:

• May 20: 701,000 / .26
• May 27: 827,000 / .32
• June 3: 730,000 / .29
• June 10: 677,000 / .23
• June 17: 772,000 / .28
• June 24: 633,000 / .22
• July 1: 748,000 / .29
• July 8: 715,000 / .28
• July 15: 788,000 / .29
• July 22: 845,000 / .32
• July 29: 773,000 / .30
• Aug. 5: 901,000 / .36
• Aug. 12: 792,000 / .32
• Aug. 22: 755,000 / .31
• Aug. 27: 813,000 / .29
• Sept. 2: 928,000 / .36
• Sept. 9: 1.02 million / .37
• Sept. 16: 886,000 / .34
• Sept. 23: 835,000 / .32
• Sept. 30: 866,000 / .33
• Oct. 7: 753,000 / .31
• Oct. 14: 826,000 / .30
• Oct. 21: 753,000 / .30
• Oct. 28: 781,000 / .32
• Nov. 4: 717,000 / .30
• Nov. 11: 764,000 /.30
• Nov. 18: 850,000 / .37
• Nov. 25: 710,000 / .26
• Dec. 2: 913,000 / .42
• Dec. 9: 995,000 / .45
• Dec. 16: 806,000 / .32
• Dec. 23: 775,000 / .32
• Dec. 30: 977,000 / .40
• Jan. 6: 662,000 / .25
• Jan. 13: 762,000 / .30
• Jan. 20: 854,000 / .36
• Jan. 27: 734,000 / .29
• Feb. 3: 844,000 / .32
• Feb. 10: 741,000 / .29
• Feb. 17: 747,000 / .31
• Feb. 24: 831,000 / .35
• Mar. 3: 934,000 / .33
• Mar. 10: 743,000 / .32
• Mar. 17: 768,000 / .28
• Mar. 24: 757,000 / .30
• Mar. 31: 700,000 / .26
• Apr. 7: 688,000 / .28
• Apr. 14: 1,219,000 / .44
• Apr. 21: 1,104,000 / .37
• Apr. 28: 889,000 / .33
• May 5: 1,090,000 / .42
• May 12: 936,000 / .31
• May 19: 821,000 / .28

For complete results and this week’s Dynamite live blog click here. To read a recap & review of the night’s events click here. For a playlist of the show click here.