Tag: raw ratings

WWE Raw ratings hold up well against NBA and NHL playoffs

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Raw ended up last night doing almost identical to the previous week in totals, but the pattern was very different likely due to the NBA playoffs.

Raw averaged 1.82 million viewers with a 0.58 rating in 18-49 and a 0.43 in 18-34.

The viewers were down 3,000 from last week, which is 0.2 percent, while 18-49 was down two percent and 18-34 was also down two percent.

However, the first two hours were big, but there was a huge third hour drop against the start of the Warriors-Kings game on TNT that did 4,322,000 viewers and drew a 1.54 in 18-49.

Raw was fourth on cable behind the two NBA games and the Inside the NBA Playoffs show at 12:55 a.m. after the second game that still did 1.54 million viewers and a 0.65.

Raw also beat every show on network TV last night, which seemingly were hurt even worse than Raw by the NBA playoffs as it beat American Idol (0.53), The Voice (0.51) and 911 (0.51).

On cable, Raw beat Boston vs. Florida in the NHL playoffs (1,072,000/0.37) on ESPN as well as Los Angeles vs. Edmonton on ESPN (483,000/0.19), the New York Islanders vs. Carolina on ESPN2 (642,000/0.21) and Minnesota vs. Dallas on ESPN2 (561,000/0.21).

Raw was third behind the two NBA games in women 18-49, fourth in men 18-49, fourth in people 18-34, fourth in women 12-34 and fourth in men 12-34.

It was 10th in total viewers behind six news shows and three NBA-related shows.

Raw was up 10 percent in viewers from last year going against similar sports competition, as well as up 23 percent in 18-49 and up 34 percent in 18-34. If you factor in the loss of cable homes over the the past year, the real gains were 17 percent in viewers, 30 percent in 18-49 and 42 percent in 18-34, which is phenomenal growth year-to-year.

The Warriors-Kings game did lead to Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn & Matt Riddle vs. Judgment Day not keeping the audience in the third hour as well as most recent weeks.

The first-to-third hour declines were 28 percent in women 18-49, seven percent in men 18-49, 33 percent in women 12-34 and 16 percent in men 12-34. The decline with people over 50, which is the majority of the WWE audience, was 18 percent from hour one to three.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.95 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.92 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.58 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings down from post-WrestleMania episode

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Raw last night fell back to normal levels after the giant numbers last week, averaging 1.82 million viewers and drawing a 0.59 rating in 18-49.

Raw was first on cable and was the highest rated show on all of television since the top network show, American Idol, did a 0.56.

The ratings pattern was notable because the first hour was unusually low, the second hour was way up, and then it fell in hour three, so the third hour was almost identical in viewers to the first hour, and it was ahead in the key demos.

On cable, Raw was first across the board. Second place Tucker Carlson did a 0.25 in 18-49, less than half of Raw. Raw’s 0.40 in women 18-49 beat second place Summer House at 0.24. Raw’s 0.80 in men 18-49 beat second place Tucker Carlson and PTI that did 0.30. Raw’s 0.44 with people 18-34 beat Summer House at 0.13.

Raw was ninth on cable in total viewers, behind eight news shows.

Raw was down from last week’s post-WrestleMania 39 edition of the show, but that was to be expected. It was down 20 percent in viewers, down 22 percent in 18-49, and down 24 percent in 18-34.

From last year, Raw was up one percent in viewers, up 10 percent in 18-49, and up 16 percent in 18-34, so the audience is skewing much younger than a year ago. Factoring in the loss of cable homes over the past year, the real gains are seven percent in viewers, 17 percent in 18-49, and 24 percent in 18-34.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.76 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.96 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.73 million viewers

WWE draws giant ratings for Raw after WrestleMania 39

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The Raw after WrestleMania 39 was expected to do a monster number, but beat expectations with 2.26 million viewers and a 0.76 rating in 18-49.

It was the second biggest Raw audience of the year, trailing only the Raw 30th anniversary episode. But in the 18-49 demo, it was the best Raw rating in more than three years.

Raw beat everything on television except CBS’ coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball finals where Connecticut beat San Diego State, which went against the last two hours of Raw. The game did 14.69 million viewers with a 3.73 in 18-49, which is one of the toughest nights of competition of the year for Raw.

Raw did peak in the commercial-free first hour, off the WrestleMania curiosity, and then the game started. Even with spending the entire show advertising a match with Brock Lesnar & Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa, which ended up not being delivered, between the basketball game and the circumstances of an audience tuning in early after Mania, the drop from the first to third hour was the largest in weeks. But that was to be expected.

Raw dominated cable. It tripled second place Tucker Carlson in 18-49. It more than doubled second place Rock the Block in women 18-49. It more than tripled everything in men 18-49. The 0.58 in 18-34 was amazing when you consider second place was 0.12. The rating with men 12-34 was 0.62 compared to a 0.14 for second place.

The number two show for the night on cable, Tucker Carlson, did 3.25 million/0.25 in 18-49, less than one-third of Raw in the key demo.

Raw even beat The Voice and American Idol on network TV.

Raw was seventh on cable in total viewers behind six news shows.

It was up 23 percent in viewers from last week, up 37 percent in 18-49, and up 41 percent in 18-34.

As compared to last year’s show this week, also the day after WrestleMania, Raw was up eight percent in viewers, up 21 percent in 18-49, and up 23 percent in 18-34, and that’s with major decreases in homes that can get the USA Network. Factoring in direct homes comparisons, the real percentage gains from last year were 14 percent in viewers, up 29 percent in 18-49, and up 31 percent in 18-34.

The number would have been far higher without the basketball game, as men 18-49 dropped 23 percent from hour one, not against the game, to hour three, far more than usual. Other drops were 15 percent for women 18-49, 21 percent with women 12-34 , 14 percent with men 12-34, and 13 percent with people 50.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 2.47 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 2.26 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 2.05 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings up for WrestleMania 39 go-home show

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The go-home Raw for WrestleMania last night averaged 1.84 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in 18-49 and a 0.41 rating in 18-34, winning the night on cable and beating everything on network TV except The Bachelor and The Voice.

The show had the daylight saving time pattern of people tuning in later, as the second hour was the most-watched, but there was a significant third-hour drop, unlike last week when they kept the Roman Reigns appearance until the end. This week’s third hour was built around Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa.

Raw was first in almost every key demo. In women 18-49, Raw did a 0.36, barely beating two NCAA women’s basketball tournament games which did 0.35 and 0.34 in women 18-49 respectively. Raw did a 0.24 in women 12-34, behind the Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech game at 0.25.

Raw was 16th for the day in total viewers on cable, behind 13 news shows and the two women’s college basketball games.

In particular, Raw was well above usual with men under the age of 35. It was the best Raw numbers since the episode after Elimination Chamber.

The Maryland vs. South Carolina game did 2,167,000/0.40 and the Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech game did 233,000/0.44, both on ESPN. There was also a U.S. vs. El Salvador soccer game that did 433,000/0.17 on TNT. ESPN2 had an XFL game that did 371,000/0.10.

Raw was up four percent in viewers from last week, up one percent in 18-49, and up five percent in 18-34.

From last year’s go-home show, Raw was down seven percent in viewers, and it’s been rare for this year’s number to be behind last year. But it was even in 18-49 year-over-year and this year was up 21 percent in 18-34, again showing the audience is younger than in 2022.

Factoring in homes lost by cable, the real percentage drops are one percent in viewers, an increase of six percent in 18-49, and an increase of 26 percent in 18-34.

As far as first-to-third hour drops, it was down 14 percent in women 18-49, no drop in men 18-49, a 16 percent drop in women 12-34, a six percent drop in men 12-34, and an 11 percent drop with people over 50.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.91 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.92 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.70 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings up for Roman Reigns appearance

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Raw last night averaged 1.77 million viewers, drew a 0.55 rating in 18-49, and drew a 0.37 in 18-34.

Essentially the story in recent weeks is that Raw has had an upswing in younger viewers, particularly 18-34, while losing viewership with people over 50.

Raw was second on cable to the Japan vs. Mexico World Baseball Classic game on FS1 which did 1.89 million viewers and a 0.68 in 18-49. Even though baseball in general draws a much older audience than most sports, the WBC games have been drawing the youngest sports audience of late, even younger than the usual three youngest audiences of soccer, the NBA, and AEW Dynamite.

Raw also beat ABC in hour three, CBS all night, NBC in hour three, and FOX after 9 p.m. The only shows ahead of Raw in 18-49 were the baseball game, The Bachelor (0.63), The Voice (0.64), and Fox’s 911 (0.59). During the 10 p.m. hour, Raw was second on television behind the baseball game.

Raw was second to baseball on cable in women 18-49, second in men 18-49, second in 18-34, second in women 12-34, and second in men 12-34. Raw was 11th in total viewers behind the baseball game and nine news shows.

It was up four percent in viewers from last week, up five percent in 18-49, and up six percent in 18-34.

From last year, Raw was up 0.1 percent in viewers, but up 10 percent in 18-49 and up 16 percent in 18-34. Factoring in homes lost, the actual percentage increases were six percent in viewers, 16 percent in 18-49, and 22 percent in 18-34. Again this is another example of the Raw audience being notably younger than heading into last year’s WrestleMania.

The big story of the ratings was that Raw held strong for all three hours, which is a feather in the cap of Roman Reigns since he was the person pushed for the final segment of the show. In fact, hour two beat hour one and the first to-third hour audience decline was only three percent.

First-to-third hour drops were only three percent in women 18-49, three percent in men 18-49, no drop in women 12-34, 10 percent in men 12-34, and four percent with people over 50. This is far better than usual.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.78 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.81 million viewers
  • 10 p.m 1.73 million viewers

Wrestling Observer Live: Dynamite tonight, NXT TV report, RAW ratings, bald heads

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including Bryan’s head-shaving as a result of losing a hair match with Vince McMahon, Dynamite tonight, your weekly NXT TV report, MLW refiles their lawsuit, John Cena RAW ratings and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WWE Raw ratings up slightly for John Cena’s return

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

In a surprise of sorts, last night’s Raw, built around appearances by John Cena and Logan Paul, while up from last week, was the third-lowest number since the end of football season.

Raw averaged 1.83 million viewers with a 0.52 rating in 18-49 and 0.33 in 18-34. People 35-49 were actually down from last week. But as expected, the 18-34 demo was up with a strong third hour in that category likely due to Cena being on in hour three.

With Cena being held off until the top of hour three, the third hour drop was well under usual levels.

Raw was first on cable by a wide margin, with Below Deck on Bravo at 1.17 million/0.27 and Tucker Carlson at 3.70 million/0.27 as the second and third highest rated shows.

Raw was first with women 18-49 (0.35 to 0.34 over Below Deck), more than doubled everything on cable in men 18-49 and people 18-34, won with women 12-34 and men 12-34, and doubled everything in men 12-34, and in fact tripled everything but ESPN programming.

Raw also beat every program on network TV except The Bachelor on ABC, The Voice on NBC, and 911 on Fox. So it beat ABC in hour three, beat CBS the entire night (although those were all repeats), beat NBC in hour three, and beat Fox in the second hour.

Raw was up three percent in viewers, up two percent in 18-49, and up six percent in 18-34 from last week.

From one year ago, the show was up three percent in viewers, up 13 percent in 18-49, and up 37 percent in 18-34.

The first-to-third hour drops were eight percent with women 18-49, three percent in men 18-49, 24 percent in women 12-34, but men 12-34 were up 18 percent from the first to third hour, likely due to Cena. People over 50 were down 10 percent.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.89 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.86 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.74 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings down from last week

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Ratings have been delayed so at this point we only have the viewership and 18-49 numbers for Raw last night.

Raw averaged 1.77 million viewers, the lowest since the end of football season, but the 0.51 rating in 18-49 is a solid number and above two weeks ago which did a 0.47 but with a larger number of total viewers.

Of course Raw was down from last week’s 2.01 million viewers (which had the bump coming off Elimination Chamber). The drop in viewers was 12 percent and the drop in 18-49 was nine percent, so without details, the appearance looks to be that people over 50 were down but the show drew a younger audience than usual.

Raw was up one percent from the same week last year in total viewers, but up nine percent in 18-49, once again indicating a younger viewing audience. That comes with USA Network being in six percent fewer homes than one year ago, so actual growth would be on a percentage of available viewers basis, it would be up seven percent in viewers and up 15 percent in 18-49.

One would expect a very big number next week from Boston with John Cena and Logan Paul appearing on the show.

WWE Raw tops two million viewers for Elimination Chamber fallout

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Raw got the expected big rise coming off all the interest in Elimination Chamber, averaging 2.01 million viewers and drawing a 0.56 rating in 18-49.

Raw beat everything on television in 18-49, including The Bachelor and NBC’s AGT All-Stars. It beat all shows on Spanish-language networks as well.

The sports competition on cable was college basketball on ESPN with Louisville vs. Duke (949,000/0.26) and Kansas vs. TCU (1,288,000/0.35).

Raw was first in every key demo on cable, beating Below Deck, which often beats Raw in women 18-49, by 0.41 to 0.33. It doubled Kansas vs. TCU for first place in men 18-49. It was seventh on cable in total viewers behind only news shows, which is also much above usual.

Raw did have a huge third-hour drop, but that’s not unusual for an episode coming off a pay-per-view with a lot of interest where you have a big first hour.

The show was up 11 percent in viewers from last week, up 19 percent in 18-49, and up 50 percent, which is crazy, in 18-34.

As compared to the same week last year, Raw was up 10 percent in viewers, up 10 percent in 18-49, and up 14 percent in 18-34.

There were significant third hour drops which normally would say people weren’t interested in hour three, but it’s more here because of the big first hour.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 2.19 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 2.07 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.77 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings down for Elimination Chamber go-home show

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Raw last night did its lowest numbers since the end of football season and had an unusual ratings pattern with a very low first hour.

With a second hour pick-up, the viewership ended up at 1.81 million viewers over the three hours with a 0.47 rating in 18-49.

The second hour gain was the key to the show, and a second hour beating the first hour by as much as it did is unusual at any time, but particularly outside of daylight saving time.

Raw was first on cable, with the Miami vs. North Carolina college basketball game on ESPN in second place at 1.02 million/0.31 and Below Deck at 1.09 million/0.30.

Raw also beat ABC in hour three, beat CBS after 8:30 p.m., beat NBC after 9 p.m.. and beat Fox all night. Among all stations on television last night in prime time, USA was second to only ABC by a 0.49 to 0.47 mark, and a network show has an advantage of being in about 49 percent more homes. In 18-34, Raw beat every show but The Bachelor last night on English-language television and was also behind two Spanish-language shows.

Raw was second in women 18-49 on cable, first in men 18-49, first in people 18-34, third in women 12-34 (behind Below Deck and Summer House), and first in men 12-34. In total viewers, Raw was 14th behind only news shows.

Raw was down four percent in viewers, down 15 percent in 18-49, and down 24 percent in 18-34.

From one year ago, it really isn’t a fair comparison since Raw was on Syfy and it went against the Olympics. But from that episode Raw was up 13 percent in viewers, up six percent in 18-49, and down 10 percent in 18-34.

Raw was down in every age group but one in more than double digits, but the overall number stayed close due to the increase with people over 50.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.82 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.92 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.70 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings down from recent high levels

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

WWE Raw numbers fell into what would be a more normal pattern last night after the huge high levels from Raw’s 30th anniversary and the episode after the Royal Rumble.

Last night’s show averaged 1.87 million viewers and drew a 0.55 rating in the 18-49 demo.

This is likely what would be expected for the next few months barring a special episode or competition from a major sports event.

Raw was first on cable by a wide margin. It also beat ABC in the third hour, beat CBS after 8:30 p.m., beat NBC in the third hour, and beat Fox all night. Overall, the USA Network was the highest rated station in prime time.

Among cable shows, Raw swept the key demos, winning women 18-49, men 18-49, overall 18-34, women 12-34, and men 12-34.

Raw was 11th in total viewers, trailing only news shows.

The closest competition was a Texas vs. Kansas college basketball game on ESPN that did 1.33 million/0.37. The earlier Duke vs. Miami game did 916,000/0.27. Below Deck on Bravo did 1.15 million/0.29.

The audience was down 12 percent from last week’s Raw after the Royal Rumble in viewers, down 13 percent in 18-49, and down 22 percent in 18-34.

A comparison with last year is misleading because last year’s show was on Syfy and head-to-head with the Olympics, but Raw was up 36 percent in viewers, up 53 percent in 18-49, and up 46 percent in 18-34.

The first-to-third hour declines were 16 percent with women 18-49, three percent with men 18-49, eight percent with women 12-34, there was a three percent rise in men 12-34, and an 11 percent drop with people over 50.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.97 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.88 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.75 million viewers

Wrestling Observer Live: WWE continues to heat up, Dynamite, NXT TV report, title belts, more!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including great RAW ratings coming off the Royal Rumble, Dynamite tonight, Cody wanting to bring back the WINGED EAGLE, the NXT TV report, and so much more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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WWE Raw draws huge ratings for Royal Rumble fallout

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Raw did another monster number last night coming off the Royal Rumble, with 2.11 million viewers and a 0.64 rating in 18-49, making it the most watched show, in both cable and network television, of the day.

Raw was first in women 18-49, more than doubled everything on cable in men 18-49, more than doubled everything on cable in 18-34 and beat everything but The Bachelor on television in that demo. Raw was seventh in total viewers, trailing only news shows.

It was down 10 percent in viewers from last week’s 30th anniversary episode, but that was to be expected. It was down eight percent in 18-49 and down eight percent in 18-34.

From last year’s show after the Royal Rumble, Raw was up 13 percent in viewers, up 34 percent in 18-49, and up 45 percent in 18-34. This comes even with the decline in homes reached by USA Network. Factoring that out, the gains were 20 percent in viewers, 42 percent in 18-49, and 54 percent in 18-49.

ESPN in competition aired Virginia vs. Syracuse college basketball (1,007,000/25) and Baylor vs Texas college basketball (895,000/0.26) as the major sports competition. The NBA had a Lakers-Nets game on NBA TV that did 498,000/0.15.

The highest rated show besides Raw on cable was Below Deck on Bravo that did 1,201,000/0.31.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 2.22 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 2.17 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.96 million viewers

WWE Raw draws huge ratings for 30th anniversary episode

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Last night’s Raw drew the largest audience for the show in almost three years with 2.34 million viewers and a 0.70 rating in 18-49.

The 30th anniversary show was expected to do huge numbers because whenever WWE brings back big stars from the past, and this included Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Undertaker, and DX, the numbers always go up with younger viewers.

Because of going commercial free, the first hour averaged 2.64 million viewers and drew a 0.80 in 18-49. It was actually among the biggest first-to-third hour drops in the history of the show, which sounds terrible, but given how big the numbers were, it’s expected. It shouldn’t be viewed negatively when you have a three-hour show and the first hour is commercial free that there is a big drop. And the third hour was still above two million viewers.

In particular, by hour three, most of the key people advertised that would have led to the huge increase in numbers had already appeared on the show, whether it was Hogan, Flair, Undertaker, or the Bloodline trial of Sami Zayn.

Raw was the number one show on television in 18-49, even beating The Bachelor on ABC and The Neighborhood on CBS in the demo. The number two show on cable, the Kansas vs. Baylor college basketball game on ESPN that went head-to-head, did 1,22 million/0.36, so Raw nearly doubled it.

Raw won every key demo by a huge margin on cable except women 18-49. It won that one, but Below Deck did a very strong number for second place.

In total viewers, Raw was sixth for the night, its best showing in a long time. It trailed only five shows on Fox News.

Coming off last week’s episode which went against a football game that did 30 plus million viewers, Raw was up 60 percent in viewers, up 67 percent in 18-49, and up 63 percent in 18-34.

From one year ago, the first show of last year after football ended, Raw was up 33 percent in viewers, up 51 percent in 18-49, and up 69 percent in 18-34.

It was the most viewers for an episode of Raw since February 17, 2020, at a time when Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre were doing big segment numbers on the show.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 2.64 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 2.37 million viewers
  • 10 pm. 2.02 million viewers

WWE Raw ratings down against NFL playoff game

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Going against its toughest competition in many years, Raw on Monday still held up with 1.49 million viewers and a 0.42 rating in 18-49.

While the viewership number is among the lowest in the history of the show, the Dallas Cowboys vs. Tampa Bay Bucs playoff game, which could have been the last game of Tom Brady’s career, did 31.10 million viewers and an 8.39 rating in 18-49, which was a combination of 17.76 million/3.81 on ABC, 11.66 million/3.95 on ESPN, and 1.68 million/0.63 on ESPN2.

Raw stayed pretty steady, starting much lower than usual and having a normal-level third-hour drop, given the game was a blowout.

Raw was seventh for the night on cable, behind the ESPN and ESPN2 airings of the game, plus the kickoff show, postgame show, Countdown show, and SportsCenter after the game.

Raw beat an early evening NBA game that on TNT that ended before Raw started, as well as an afternoon NBA game.

Raw was eighth in women 18-49, behind football-related shows and Below Deck. It was seventh in men 18-49, seventh in 18-34, sixth in women 12-34, seventh in men 12-34, and 21st in total viewers.

The only programs with more viewers were NFL-related shows and news shows. With football season now concluding on Monday nights, Raw should start to dominate the Monday ratings next week.

Raw also beat all network programming except ABC and Univision on Monday night.

Raw was down 12 percent in viewers, down 16 percent in 18-49, and down 12 percent in 18-34 from last week, but that was understandable given the competition.

As compared to the same week last year, which also went against an NFL playoff game, but not one that drew nearly the same numbers, Raw was down eight percent in viewers, three percent in 18-49, and three percent in 18-34. But if you factor in lost homes from cable, it was down two percent in viewers, up three percent in 18-49, and up three percent in 18-34.

The first-to-third hour drops were 23 percent with women 18-49, 12 percent with men 18-49, 17 percent in women 12-34, an 18 percent gain in men 12-34, and down 14 percent with people over 50.

The three hours were:

  • 8 p.m. 1.56 million viewers
  • 9 p.m. 1.54 million viewers
  • 10 p.m. 1.37 million viewers