Vince McMahon Addresses Low Viewership Ratings of WWE Shows

WWE’s ratings are currently in a free fall, with each week creating new records for lowest ratings. You would think that Vince McMahon might be very concerned about the situation.

However, as per the boss himself, this problem doesn’t trouble him as much as the wrestling media wants you to believe.

Raw has been hovering around the 1.5 million mark for quite some time now. SmackDown has fared marginally better with its ratings being around the 1.9 million mark.

Considering the illustrious history and reputation of the company, these numbers are abysmally poor. To be fair, that’s partially owed to the lack of crowds and a reduced capacity. In addition, two top stars of the roster in the form of Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch are currently out.

Vince McMahon explains his strategy towards the low ratings

Vince McMahon gave a very detailed answer on this downfall. He spoke this at a recently held shareholders meeting.

“We have a 30-plus year track record of creating compelling characters and engaging a variety of audiences, and we obviously remain confident we can continue that with our collective ability, even in the most challenging environments with no live audience.

“The media echo system obviously has changed. We change with it. Our engagement metrics across platforms are understandably and obviously — however, the importance of linear programming is paramount in all of our businesses — we consistently have seen year-over-year increases in a variety of digital metrics and engagement. And positive trends have continued, even during COVID.

“Conversely, TV viewership trends have been negatively impacted by COVID, obviously, and the lack of a live audience. We are still nonetheless the number-one television show on USA [Network] and consistently the number-one broadcast show on Fridays among key demos.

“We expect a combination of valuable promotional inventory from our TV partners with the return of sports events programming. And a deep roster of charismatic talent will have a positive impact on viewership over the long-term.”

If you closely examine this answer, Vince is trying to highlight the decreasing importance of television. With the rise of the WWE Network, it seems like the meterics for success have substantially changed.

In addition, he’s right that the overall ratings of television have decreased. That’s highlighted by the fact that WWE continues to lead in key demographics despite its poor ratings.

However, to completely discount the fact that the low ratings might be due to a decrease in the quality of the product, is not the perfect strategy. Who knows, behind closed doors, these discussions might already be happening in hushed tones.

WWE needs to get its act together before it gets too late.

SOURCE: Wrestlenomics