Source: Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board & IWHeadlines.com
Recent viewership estimates for iMPACT Wrestling on Challenge TV in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are now available. The episode of iMPACT Wrestling that aired on Sunday, July 13, 2014 was estimated to have approximately 149,000 viewers on Challenge TV. An additional 29,000 viewers watched an hour later on Challenge TV +1 bringing the total audience to 178,000 viewers. This figure represents a decrease of about 41,000 viewers from the prior week’s episode, which brought in an estimated 219,000 viewers.
The Sunday, July 13, 2014 episode of iMPACT Wrestling was the third most viewed program on Challenge TV and the most viewed program on Challenge TV +1.
Since iMPACT Wrestling began broadcasting on Challenge TV it has consistently been the most viewed program on the channel and the most viewed professional wrestling program in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. In fact, an episode that aired in February 2014 had an audience of 322,000 viewers – the largest professional wrestling television audience in this market since the Attitude Era of the late 1990s. The record viewership in February 2014 followed a prior record set in February 2012 of 321,000 viewers and an episode that aired in August 2013, when the show again broke 300,000 viewers in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
One of the reasons why iMPACT Wrestling has been able to achieve such high levels of viewership success in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland is because WWE opted to negotiate a television deal with the Sky Sports suite of channels which means that WWE programming is on a package that must be paid for by the viewer. When TNA negotiated their television contract in this market, they opted to go with a free channel so that all viewers could watch their product. WWE’s choice to place their programming on a paid channel versus iMPACT Wrestling’s choice to place their programming on a free channel likely has an affect on the total number of viewers watching each of the promotions’ shows. However, iMPACT Wrestling is still the most watched professional wrestling program in the United Kingdom since the late 1990s – a phenomenal accomplishment for the younger, smaller promotion.
Interested in learning more about iMPACT Wrestling’s historical ratings and viewership numbers? If so, then check out IWHeadlines.com’s Ratings War area. In the Ratings War area you can see a comparison of iMPACT Wrestling vs. Monday Night RAW from the spring of 2010 and iMPACT Wrestling vs. Superstars from all of 2010 and the first part of 2011. Also, you can see the change in viewership and ratings from TNA Wrestling’s decision to move their show to an 8pm start time in May 2012 and then back to 9pm in 2013. Plus, you can see a comparison of iMPACT Wrestling’s viewership numbers from week-to-week in 2011, 2012, 2013, and the ratings and viewership tracking information for 2014. Enjoy!
