Tag: WWE RAW ratings

With the opening night of Monday Night Football doing record numbers, Raw last night took a beating.

The Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets game that went into overtime did 22,615,000 viewers between ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2. It was the second-largest MNF audience in years.

Raw took the hit, drawing the lowest total viewership number in the show’s nearly 31-year history for a regular episode on USA Network with 1.35 million viewers and a 0.40 rating in 18-49. The only Raw episode to ever do a lower viewership number was a Best Of show.

The 0.40 would be Raw’s second lowest rating of the year.

The football number is the complete explanation for the huge drop, although the episode had no big hook as far as a huge main event, since Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez was the only big match announced ahead of time, and it wasn’t coming off a PPV.

Raw was down 21 percent from last week in viewers, down 22 percent in 18-49, and down 26 percent in 18-34.

From last year, Raw was down 21 percent in viewers from the 2022 Monday Night Football opener (which did 19.76 million viewers). It was down eight percent in 18-49 and down 22 percent in 18-34. Factoring in that cable lost homes, the real percentage drops would be 16 percent in viewers, a one percent increase in 18-49, and a 14 percent drop in 18-34.

The third-hour drop was not any different from a usual week, but the 1.25 million audience for the main event was the lowest in the history of the show.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.37 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.40 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.29 million viewers

Raw on Monday averaged 1.70 million viewers and drew a 0.52 rating in 18-49, which I’d call good numbers considering the competition from college football.

ESPN had the Duke vs. Clemson game that did 4.39 million viewers and a 1.32, but it should be noted that Charter subscribers, which are about 20 percent of the cable universe, had the game blacked out and thus in those homes it was not competition for Raw.

USA was second behind ESPN on cable and beat all network programming.

Raw was up two percent in viewership from last week even with tougher competition, up 0.3 percent in 18-49, and up seven percent in 18-34.

Given the show was on Labor Day, it would be expected to do a higher second hour than first, which didn’t happen as the two numbers were almost identical with 8,000 more watching hour one. The third hour decline, built around Gunther trying to break the IC title record in a match with Chad Gable, was at usual levels.

The episode was down from the same week in 2022, and most comparisons to a year ago for Raw have been very favorable for growth, particularly with younger viewers.

It was down 17 percent year-over-year with viewers, down 11 percent in 18-49, and down 22 percent in 18-34. When you factor in the decline in homes on cable, the 18-49 number wasn’t that different from last year but total viewers would be down 12 percent. Last year also went against college football on ESPN that was available in virtually every home that had Raw, but also overall was not quite as big of a game.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.76 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.76 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.59 million viewers

Raw last night was up from last week, likely due to having no NFL competition this Monday.

Raw averaged 1.68 million viewers and drew a 0.51 rating in 18-49. The show did steady numbers until 10:15 p.m. and then had a big drop in the last 45 minutes.

Raw was first place on television for the night. The closest cable competition was 90 Day: The Last Resort on TLC at 1,29 million/0.31 while NBC’s American Ninja Warrior topped the network rankings at 3.30 million/0.44.

Raw was still lower than the show had been doing with no football competition in previous weeks as the number two weeks ago was 1.76 million/0.55.

Raw was up five percent from last week against preseason football in total viewers, as well as up three percent in 18-49 and down 14 percent in 18-34.

Although Raw has been beating last year’s numbers routinely, last year on this week Raw did a huge number and this year was down 20 percent in viewers, down 12 percent in 18-49, and down 26 percent in 18-34. Factoring in the loss of homes over the past year in cable, the real drops would be 16 percent in viewers, four percent in 18-49, and 19 percent in 18-34.

The third hour, built around a Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark falls count anywhere match, didn’t hold the audience well.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.74 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.73 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.57 million viewers

Raw last night started unusually low but recovered well, doing 1.76 million viewers and a 0.55 rating in 18-49. It was the lowest viewership number since June 12, which was the episode that went head-to-head with the final game of the NBA playoffs.

The low start meant the first and third hours had identical viewership and for the first time I can recall in a long time, the first quarter at 1.59 million viewers was the low point of the entire show.

Rankings for the day are unavailable at press time.

The show would be expected to be down from last week, given last Monday was the Raw after SummerSlam.

The drop from last week was seven percent in viewers, 10 percent in 18-49, and seven percent in 18-34, which would be drops along the lines of what one would expect.

However, the difference in the make-up of viewership from one year ago was notable. While down 11 percent in total viewers, that was largely due to a decline in viewers over 50. The 18-49 demo was up four percent and 18-34 was up 42 percent from the same week last year.

When you factor in the losses of cable homes over the past year, you would still have a six percent drop in total viewers. It has been very rare that total viewers from this year were down over the same week last year. But with the younger audience, the numbers are still way up, as factoring that in you get a 14 percent increase in 18-49 and a 57 percent increase in 18-34.

All things considered based on the patterns, the Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor main event was strong in keeping the viewership until the end of the show. But that’s also attributable to people starting watching the episode late, meaning that they are more likely to stay with the show longer.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.73 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.82 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.73 million viewers

Raw last night averaged 1.89 million viewers and drew a 0.61 rating in 18-49, numbers that would normally be considered good, but all things considered the total viewer number had to be a disappointment.

Last year’s Raw after SummerSlam did 2.23 million viewers, although the 0.62 in 18-49 isn’t much different from this year and that’s with a decline in homes that get the USA Network.

Still, with the commercial-free first hour and coming the day after one of the biggest shows of the year, and the general growth almost every week, one would have thought it would have topped two million viewers.

Over the past three years, the 18-49 bump averaged 37 percent while this year the number was 14 percent.

The show was up seven percent in viewers from last week, up 14 percent in 18-49, and up 21 percent in 18-34.

As compared to the episode after SummerSlam last year, Raw was down 20 percent in viewers, down one percent in 18-49, and up 15 percent in 18-34. So the decline was largely with people over 50.

The other surprise is that with the first hour commercial-free, it created an artificial high, but the drop-off of viewers during the show was minimal. Usually after a PPV there is a big first hour with people watching out of curiosity, but a big drop in hour three.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.96 million
• 9 p.m. 1.88 million
• 10 p.m. 1.82 million

Raw had a unique night last night where, as is rarely the occasion, the third hour was actually slightly higher than the first hour.

Overall the show averaged 1.76 million viewers and drew a 0.53 rating in 18-49, both a little below what has been the usual levels. The 18-49 number was Raw’s lowest since the holiday episode on July 3 and the total viewership was the lowest since June 12.

The second hour (which was the high point) had the usual 9 p.m. peak and then was strong again for the Cody Rhodes angle with Brock Lesnar.

The third hour was headlined by Seth Rollins & Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio.

The show was down three percent in viewers from last week, down seven percent in 18-49, and down 13 percent in 18-34.

From one year ago, the comparison is somewhat unfair because SummerSlam came a week earlier. So the Raw after SummerSlam was a monster rating, like next week is likely to be.

It was down 21 percent in viewers from last year, down 13 percent in 18-49, and down five percent in 18-34. If you factor in homes lost by USA, the actual numbers would be 16 percent down with viewers, five percent down in 18-49, and four percent up in 18-34.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.71 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.86 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.72 million viewers

Raw last night averaged 1.82 million viewers and drew a 0.57 rating in 18-49 along with a very strong 0.43 in 18-34.

While the viewers and 18-49 number were similar to last week, the 18-34 number was way up, which could have to do with Logan Paul.

It was the normal summer pattern where the second hour was the high point and the high point being Dominik Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn for the NXT North American title.

There was a pretty significant third hour drop so the Seth Rollins-Finn Balor contract signing didn’t keep the audience as well as most main events.

The show was down two percent in viewers from last week, but almost identical in 18-49 and 18-34 was up 25 percent.

From last year, it was down four percent in viewers from the first Raw after Vince McMahon announced his retirement and the number was way up from that time frame, but the audience this year is substantially younger with a 15 percent gain in 18-49 and a 31 percent gain in 18-34. And that’s with a marked decline in the number of homes USA Network is in.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.87 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.91 million viewers
• 10 pm. 1.67 million viewers

Raw last night averaged 1.86 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in 18-49, numbers slightly up from last week’s show that had competition from Home Run Derby, so the increase would have been expected.

Raw was the highest rated show in 18-49 both on cable television and beat every network show as well.

The second highest rated cable show, 90 Day Fiance, did a 0.20 in 18-49. Nothing on network TV topped a 0.41.

From last week, Raw was up three percent in viewers, up two percent in 18-49, and down nine percent in 18-34.

From one year ago, the show was up five percent from an episode that went against Home Run Derby, but up 23 percent in 18-49 and up eight percent in 18-34. Factoring in the homes lost by cable, the real percentage increases were 11 percent in viewers and 36 percent in 18-49.

The Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn tag title match against Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio did a better job than most Raw main events as far as the first-to-third hour drop is concerned.

Raw last night averaged 1.81 million viewers, a number slightly down from last week, but it was a younger audience. Last week’s show was likely hurt with younger viewers due to being on July 3.

The episode drew a 0.56 rating in 18-49 and a 0.38 in 18-34.

There were no major takeaways past the Judgment Day vs. Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens match held the third hour up well. Competition numbers are not available at press time past Raw beat every English-language network TV show in 18-49.

The peak in 18-49 was for the Logan Paul segment with Ricochet and overall audience peak was for Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark.

The total audience was down one percent from last week, but 18-49 was up 15 percent and 18-34 was up 11 percent.

From one year ago, Raw was up six percent in viewers, up 26 percent in 18-49, and up 22 percent in 18-34. Factoring in the homes lost over the past year, the real ratings percentage gains would be 12 percent in viewers, 38 percent in 18-49, and 34 percent in 18-34.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.85 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.87 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.71 million viewers

Monday’s WWE Raw did 1.79 million viewers and an 0.51 in the 18-49 demo.

Once again, the show had a strong second hour and while the viewership was down in the third hour slightly overall, the number has to be considered good when you consider that the Golden State Warriors vs. LA Lakers NBA playoff game did 7.52 million viewers against the third hour.

The hour-by-hour breakdowns:

• 8 PM: 1.78 million viewers
• 9 PM: 1.91 million viewers
• 10 PM: 1.67 million viewers

Raw was fourth for the night on cable, beating everything except the NBA playoffs on TNT. The New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat game against the first two hours did 4.56 million viewers and a 1.53 in 18-49 while the Warriors vs. Lakers game did a 2.71 in 18-49.

The Inside The NBA show after the end of the Warriors game did 2.33 million viewers and a 0.93 in 18-49. The Edmonton Oilers vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights NHL playoff game did 1.18 million viewers and a 0.39 in 18-49, finishing fifth behind Raw.

Raw was fourth across the board and second in the time slot in every key demo behind the three NBA-related shows. Raw also beat everything on network TV except Jeopardy! Masters in hour one on ABC that did 5.78 million viewers and a 0.63 in 18-49.

It was ninth for the night in total viewers, trailing the three NBA-related shows and five news shows.

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The major story is that the World Heavyweight tournament worked very well at keeping the audience against the highly-rated game. The boost from Backlash would show up earlier rather than later.

Raw was helped by coming off the PPV and the three World title tournament matches. But, with the tougher competition, it was only a tiny rise in total viewers, a relatively small drop in 18-49, and a bigger drop in 18-34.

It was up less than one percent from last week in viewers, but that would be considered a win. In 18-49, it was down four percent and in 18-34, it was down 10 percent.

Year over year, it was up eight percent in viewers, up 17 percent in 18-49, and up 20 percent in 18-34. Keeping in mind that USA Network is down in potential homes, those increases are even more impressive than those figures indicate.

The pattern across the board was a lower than usual first hour, a very strong second hour and, considering the opposition, a strong third hour. In the key demos, hour three (featuring Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor in the tournament) did roughly the same in key demos as hour one, which is a big win.

First-to-third hour movement saw women 18-49 down three percent, men 18-49 up three percent (usually down closer to ten percent), women 12-34 up ten percent, and men 12-34 down five percent while over 50 was down nine percent.

The Raw after the Royal Rumble averaged 1.86 million viewers and drew an 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demo last night, putting it in first place for the night on cable.

It was the best viewership for Raw since the week after SummerSlam last year, but the 18-49 number has to be considered a disappointment, as it was barely up from last week’s 0.46 and there were weeks against the NFL that beat it in the fall.

Raw’s two closest challenging shows were 1,000 Pound Sisters on TLC (1.97 million viewers and an 0.40 in 18-49) and Below Deck on Bravo (1.29 million viewers and an 0.39) against hour one.

ESPN had college basketball that did 958,000 viewers and an 0.23 in 18-49.

Raw’s first-to-third hour drop was 21.6 percent, the largest in recent memory and among the biggest in the history of the show. The key was that the first hour topped two million viewers and WWE held Ronda Rousey for last to keep the viewers, but hour three reverted to usual numbers. Essentially the Rumble bump was significant, but those viewers didn’t last throughout the show.

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

As compared to the show after the 2021 Royal Rumble which was held at the ThunderDome, Raw was down one percent in viewers, down 17 percent in 18-49, and down six percent in 18-34. For total viewers, since cable has dropped, staying that close should be considered good, but almost all major sports have actually increased from last year.

As far as the drops from hour one to hour three, for women 18-49, the show dropped 13 percent (not unusual), men 18-49 dropped 17 percent (higher than usual), girls 12-17 dropped 29 percent (which isn’t good), boys 12-17 dropped 33 percent (which is far worse than usual), and people over 50 dropped 22 percent (the largest in recent memory). The 18-49 drop isn’t as good. The 1,000 Pound Sisters show against hour three drew a huge women’s audience and a big over 50 audience, two categories WWE dropped well above usual levels in.

Raw was third in women 18-49, first in men 18-49 by a wide margin, first in 18-34, tied for first in women 12-34 (but losing head-to-head with 1,000 Pound Sisters), and first in men 12-34.

In total viewers, Raw was 10th, behind mostly news shows but also fell behind 1,000 Pound Sisters, the first time in a long time that an entertainment program had more viewers than Raw on Monday night.

Raw will likely drop significantly next week on Syfy and with competition from the Olympics.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 2.08 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.88 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.63 million viewers