WWE Raw ratings up four percent, third hour beats first

[Big Red Machine]

Source: www.F4WOnline.com

By Dave Meltzer | @davemeltzerWON | Jul 16, 2019 2:05 pm


Raw last night coming off the Extreme Rules PPV did 2.45 million viewers, a four percent increase from last week.

Considering last week was against the Home Run Derby and this week came off a PPV, you would have expected a bigger increase, but the ratings pattern was extremely strong for the episode itself. The first hour was surprisingly low, but there was a big increase in hour two, and while hour three dropped, it was still ahead of one hour, which almost never happens.

The pattern was closer to the summer patterns in previous years as opposed to the modern pattern of people tuning in early and tuning out.

Raw was fifth for the night on cable, trailing only news shows.

Once again, which has been the case in recent weeks, there was strong women's viewership growth during the show. Women 18-49 gained 18 percent from the first to third hour, which is unheard of. Men 18-49 gained nine percent. Teenage girls gained 36 percent from hour one to hour three. Teenage boys gained 39 percent from hour one to hour three. The overall gains would have been higher, but the largest audience, over 50, dropped 2.9 percent from the first to third hour, which is still better than usual.

It appears there was tremendous interest in one or both of the top matches at SummerSlam that the third hour women's elimination match and men's battle royal were going to determine.

If not for the weak first hour the overall gain would have been substantial.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.38 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.50 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.48 million viewers