Paul Heyman Explains Why WWE Viewership Is Declining

The Advocate Paul Heyman spoke with Scott Fishman of Channel Guide Mag this week to promote Saturday night’s WWE Network special from Madison Square Garden in New York City. They spoke about a number of topics, including Heyman’s long history with MSG, Brock Lesnar’s storied rivalry with the Big Show as well as WrestleMania 32.

Perhaps the most interesting subject was that of WWE’s recent downturn in viewership. Heyman argues that a catalyst of WWE’s predicament has been their failure to attract a generation of new fans. Heyman said,

“I think if there is erosion in the ratings then we are in a cycle within the industry where fans are going and looking for or finding other interests,” Heyman said. “This is not dissimilar to any other forms of entertainment. The key has always been to replace those who leave, to bring in more fans at any time you are losing fans. At this particular point in time there is a search to find the new fan. I am not one who looks at the ratings every Tuesday and says, ‘Well, we haven’t replaced everybody that is left. The ratings didn’t double.’ I’m not expecting that type of increase tomorrow or the next week or the week after that.

Of course, Paul Heyman does not seem like the type of guy to talk about a problem without offering a viable resolution. Heyman pitches a back to basics approach, developing the stars of tomorrow who can carry the company for years to come.

“Any business with longevity, and this is the one company in the business that has survived, deals with this. They survive because when there was an erosion of the audience and they had to replenish the audience, there isn’t a panic. Panic is never the answer. Panic never brings up the ratings. A long-term solution is with a number of brand new stars, all in compelling situations with riveting storylines and new matchups. That is what will bring an upswing to the ratings ever so slowly to where the average rating goes up a little bit each month. Then a couple of years from now the erosion have taken place of the people that have left being fans and a new generation or group or crop of fans has come in. It’s natural evolution of any form of entertainment.”

You can read the full interview visiting ChannelGuideMagBlog.com.