Recent viewership estimates for IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are now available from the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board. The episode of IMPACT Wrestling that aired on Sunday, September 28, 2014 was estimated to have approximately 166,000 viewers on Challenge. An additional 28,000 viewers watched one hour later on Challenge +1, which brings the total audience for this week to 194,000 viewers. This figure represents an increase of about 50,000 viewers from the prior week’s episode, which brought in an estimated 144,000 viewers.
The Sunday, September 28, 2014 episode of IMPACT Wrestling was the most viewed program on Challenge and the second most viewed program on Challenge +1.
Since IMPACT Wrestling began broadcasting on Challenge 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.
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 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 different start times and days of the week. Plus, you can see a comparison of IMPACT Wrestling’s viewership numbers from week-to-week in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and the ratings and viewership tracking information for 2015. Enjoy!
