Warner Bros. Discovery has officially confirmed that the live simulcast streams of AEW Dynamite and Collision on the Max streaming service are not currently included in the television ratings numbers released by Nielsen. The clarification comes after Nielsen recently implemented a new ratings measurement system, referred to as “Big Data + Panel,” which has led to some confusion among fans and analysts about what is and is not being counted in the final viewership figures. The new system, which combines traditional panel data with information from set-top boxes and smart TVs, has generally resulted in lower reported numbers for wrestling shows, and many have wondered if the growing streaming audience was being accounted for.
According to a report from Wrestlenomics, the outlet reached out directly to Warner Bros. Discovery for clarification on the matter. A spokesperson for the company provided a definitive statement.
“Nothing has changed in terms of what is baked into their numbers from the WBD side of things. AEW’s “Dynamite” and “Collision” linear viewership information reported by Nielsen still does not include HBO Max streaming viewership.”
The statement confirms that the numbers being reported for AEW’s weekly shows only reflect the linear television audience on TBS and TNT. It is currently unclear if the new Nielsen system includes streaming data from other media companies, such as NBCUniversal and Paramount. The report also noted that the ratings changes have been a major topic of conversation backstage in all the major wrestling companies, and the new system is being closely monitored by AEW, WWE, and others.
