AEW has seen a lot of growth over the past five years when it comes to their production values and other avenues. However, the company continues to face issues of declining live attendance and viewership and now Tony Khan has been criticized for treating AEW as his plaything after Dynamite secured a record-low viewership recently.
After months of rumors and speculation,AEW officially secured a multi-year media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, reportedly worth $555 million over three years. Many fans felt this would turn the tide for AEW but things havent exactly been smooth sailing for the company. This is because the October 9th edition of AEW Dynamite drew 329,000 viewers, with a 0.10 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, which marked an all-time low viewership for the show.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Jim Cornette criticized Tony Khan for treating AEW like a plaything after AEW Dynamite had its lowest viewership ever last week. He pointed out that fewer people are watching the shows while Tony is getting busier with his work. Cornette mentioned that Khan is working long hours, juggling wrestling, football, and other responsibilities, and warned that things might get worse.
Although many people are hopeful about AEW making money and receiving guaranteed payments from TV networks, Cornette found it embarrassing that they announced this during such low ratings. He recognized that AEW is making a lot of money, but they are also spending a lot. The problem is that if viewers arent interested in what they are producing, it raises questions about whether the money being spent is worth it.
Cornette referenced the recent cancellation of SmackDown on Fox, which had two million viewers, to show how networks might react to falling ratings. He questioned whether AEWs current viewership justifies the money being invested and if Warner Bros. Discovery will regret their decision in the future.
Cornette insisted that AEWs problems are self-made, not due to outside issues like a pandemic or economic problems. According to Cornette, Tony Khans background as a billionaire and his familys ownership of sports teams have led him to treat AEW as a plaything instead of a serious business. He stressed that AEW needs to show its worth to justify the large financial support it receives.
We will have to wait and see whether Tony Khan will somehow improve the situation and ensure that AEW Dynamites dwindling ratings are a thing of the past. After all, despite their new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, things simply do not look favorable for AEW at the moment.
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