AEW TV Ratings Down For Battle Of The Belts II

AEW Battle of the Belts struggled for numbers against intense NBA playoffs competition.

by Andy H Murray
Sammy Guevara Tay Conti
AEW

Last week's All Elite Wrestling Battle of the Belts II special was down on the brand's first outing, ratings-wise, though the sophomore episode faced significant competition from NBA playoff basketball.

Airing at 8 PM EST on Saturday 16 April, Battle of the Belts II drew a total of 527,000 P2+ viewers on TNT (as originally reported by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics). Included in this number were 240,000 viewers aged 18-49 for a P18-49 rating of 0.18.

Battle of the Belts II finished 10th on the night amongst original cable telecasts, outdone only by the NBA, a UFC event, Nascar, and Sportscenter on ESPN. NBA coverage dominated the night, though AEW went head-to-head with a playoff game as well as the aforementioned UFC and Nascar events.

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The second BOTB show's numbers were down from the first, which aired on Saturday 8 January 2022. That show drew 704,000 P2+ viewers and 355,000 in the key demographic for a P18-49 rating of 0.27, finishing 11th on the night amongst cable originals. Battle of the Belts I faced even stronger competition than II, as a multitude of NFL games took place that same evening.

Data: Wrestlenomics, Showbuzz Daily.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.