WWE's PPV Viewerships Are Up Since Moving To Peacock
Backlash, Hell In A Cell, and Money In The Bank enjoyed increased viewerships on Peacock.
Moving from WWE Network to Peacock has helped Vince McMahon's promotion score significant viewership increases for three recent pay-per-views, claims company President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan.
Speaking during yesterday's Q2 2021 financial earnings call, Khan revealed that WrestleMania Backlash 2021, Hell In A Cell 2021, and Money In The Bank 2021 were up from the previous year's figures by the following percentages (h/t Wrestlenomics):-
WrestleMania Backlash: 26%
Hell In A Cell: 25%
Money In The Bank: 46%
Khan attributed WWE's increase primarily to the Peacock move, as the service's subscriber base is considerably higher than the Network's. It was reported yesterday, in fact, that NBCU's platform had reached 54 million subs.
While this is likely part of it, the change of environment may have contributed as well. 2020's May, June, and July pay-per-views played out inside an empty Performance Center, and with moving to the ThunderDome in August producing an upturn in television viewership, it's reasonable to assume that pay-per-views would experience a similar benefit.
Money In The Bank's increase is likely bolstered by the return of live fans for that event.
Khan also noted that WWE's 2021 PPV viewerships were up on 2019 numbers as well, which is a more useful comparison without COVID-19 related considerations. He didn't disclose any numbers, though.