10 Major Problems Facing WWE In 2017
1. The Ratings Crisis
WWE’s television ratings have been on a steady decline since the Monday Night Wars ended, but they hit shocking new lows in 2016. September 26th saw Raw hit an average of just 2.478 million views, which represents al all-time low for the Monday night flagship, and it’s a harrowing sign for the future.
Ratings have improved somewhat since then, but not by a significant margin. This weeks show drew 2.977 million viewers, and for all SmackDown’s improvement since the Draft, the blue brand still lags behind its big red cousin. Fewer people are watching WWE’s live shows than ever before, and the downswing continues.
The figures are mitigated somewhat by ongoing changes in viewers’ consumption methods, but they’re still incredibly depressing. Less viewers means less potential revenue, and the downturn comes as a direct consequence of a number of destructive creative practices in recent years.
Can WWE fix this problem in 2017? It’ll take a gargantuan effort. General television viewing figures are down across the board, but there’s no doubt that things like Raw’s 3-hour format, oversaturation, and the company’s increasingly tedious booking patterns have played a role. It’d take a great deal of self-analysis for WWE to start nudging ratings back in the right direction, but SmackDown’s current form proves that even an improved product won’t always guarantee a ratings spike.