AEW Collision Hits Record-Low Viewership Against Stacked College Football Saturday
AEW Collision took a heavy hit in the ratings this past weekend, falling to its lowest viewership in the show’s history during a Saturday night dominated by college football.
The August 30 episode from Philadelphia’s legendary 2300 Arena drew an average of 195,000 viewers on TNT, with only 54,000 (0.04) in the coveted 18–49 demographic. The number excludes streaming audiences on HBO Max.
While Collision has dipped during pre-emptions or alternate airings, this marked its lowest-ever audience in a standard Saturday slot. For context, the show’s previous low for a regularly scheduled broadcast was 197,000 viewers on February 1, 2025, when it went head-to-head with WWE’s Royal Rumble.
Compared to the previous week, Collision dropped 31% overall and suffered a steep 42.5% decline in 18–49 viewers. Breaking that demo down further, the male audience fell by 44% and women by 39%.
Despite the struggles, Collision still ranked 10th among all cable programs on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the lineup of competition was brutal. ESPN’s Texas vs. San Antonio game led the cable pack with over 1 million viewers and a 0.25 in 18–49. Other football clashes like Albany vs. Iowa (FS1) and Missouri State vs. USC (Big Ten Network) pulled additional demo audiences away.
On network TV, AEW had no breathing room either. LSU vs. Clemson on ABC absolutely dominated with 9.7 million viewers and a monster 2.51 in 18–49, while New Mexico vs. Michigan State (NBC) added over 2 million viewers and a 0.46 demo. Even baseball on Fox outdrew Collision.
This was the third of seven Collision events during AEW’s residency at the 2300 Arena. The company hopes to rebound this coming Saturday with a marquee rematch between Jon Moxley and Daniel Garcia, but the looming shadow of football season is likely to remain a weekly obstacle.
Data: ProgrammingInsider.com
H/t John Pollock of POSTWrestling.com
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College football season has always been Collision’s toughest opponent, and this week proved just how brutal that fight can be. With numbers dipping to record lows, AEW may need to rethink how it positions its Saturday product — whether by stacking cards with must-see matches or exploring time adjustments. The Moxley vs. Garcia rematch could give the show a short-term boost, but the long-term challenge is finding a way to carve out relevance in a landscape where Saturday nights are ruled by sports juggernauts.
