WWE Raw posts record-low ratings this week

Everything that is happening in the wrestling world.
Post Reply
User avatar
Big Red Machine
Posts: 27378
Joined: Dec 16th, '10, 15:12

WWE Raw posts record-low ratings this week

Post by Big Red Machine » Dec 4th, '18, 17:10

Source: www.F4WOnline.com

By Dave Meltzer | @davemeltzerWON | Dec 4, 2018 1:50 pm


Due to the least watched first hour in the show's modern history, Raw last night set a record low with an average of 2.29 million viewers, very slightly below the prior low mark set on October 1, also of 2.29 million.

Both the second and third hours were above last week, but the difference was a first hour drop from 2.61 million last Monday to 2.26 million this week. Raw overall was down three percent from last week, which was the fourth lowest number in the modern history of the show.

Raw was ninth for the night on cable, trailing only NFL-related programming on ESPN and news programming.

There is no reason to point to for why the first hour would have dropped so badly, but then the second hour grew, which isn't usually the case this time of year.

The second hour growth was eight percent with women 18-49, 18 percent with men 18-49, and 12 percent with male teens. On the other hand, the 0.79 in 50+ for the third hour was far lower than any time we can recall.

The Philadelphia vs. Washington Monday Night Football game did 11.24 million viewers, up 15 percent from the prior week, which would easily explain a three percent overall drop, but not the low first hour number and second hour gain. The third hour dropped, but was still above last week's third hour.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 2.26 million viewers
9 p.m. 2.40 million viewers
10 p.m. 2.20 million viewers
Hold #712: ARM BAR!

Upcoming Reviews:
FIP in 2005
ROH Validation
PWG All-Star Weekend V: Night 2
DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2013
ROH/CMLL Global Wars Espectacular: Day 3

User avatar
Big Red Machine
Posts: 27378
Joined: Dec 16th, '10, 15:12

Re: WWE Raw posts record-low ratings this week

Post by Big Red Machine » Dec 4th, '18, 21:07

A take on this from the Torch:
Wade Keller wrote: Last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw drew a 1.61 rating on USA Network among live and same-night-DVR viewers, the lowest non-holiday rating ever. Viewership began at 2.262 million, grew to 2.399 million, and then dropped to 2.196 million over the course of three hours.

This is down from the year-ago rating of 1.96 and the two years ago rating of 2.08. That’s a 23 percent drop from two years ago.

With the departure of Roman Reigns after positioning him for years as the top star could be playing a role, as could Braun Strowman’s surgery sidelining him. Perhaps it’s going back to having an “absentee Universal Champion” whom the company had convinced viewers didn’t care about WWE and had no pride in his job performance. At some point, though, it’s not the absence of stars but who is being pushed in their absence that could be at play. Ronda Rousey was supposed to be a big-name insurance policy against this kind of erosion of fan support, but she’s at best propping up what could be even worse ratings or at worst making no difference.
Check out Wade Keller’s new podcast covering last night’s episode of WWE Raw…

PWTorch editor Wade Keller is joined by cohost Rich Fann from the PWTorch Livecast “Deep Dive” to discuss WWE Monday Night Raw from Houston, Tex. including an on-site reporter along with live callers and a lot of mailbag feedback on Ronda Rousey wrestling, Drew McIntyre turns on Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose addresses fans, Sasha & Bayley Q&A with Alexa Bliss, Baron Corbin’s power trip continues, Lucha House Party rules, and more.



Editorials will be written on websites and rants will be spoken on podcasts, but all that matters is when Vince McMahon decides to point the finger at himself and his team and insist on producing better shows that listen more to fans and stay away from heel general manager authority figures and cheesy sit-down talk segments and get back to promoting a show resembling pro wrestling where popular athletes are engaging in battles inside the ring with perceived high stakes. If McMahon can bring some sense of authenticity back to the characters and what they’re saying and if he can get more in step with the demographic he’s chasing with edgier characters, things could get better quickly.

The ten-week rolling average for Raw headed into this week was 1.96, and this week marks 12 weeks in a row where the rating was below 1.80, indicating a new all-time-low water level of viewership and interest in the product. While there are other ways for WWE to draw revenue, and comparing ratings today to 20 years ago requires qualifiers and adjustments before drawing too much judgment, it’s not good that fewer and fewer people at a rapid rate are deciding that settling in for three hours of Raw on a Monday night is worth their time anymore.

The only bright side is that the first-t0-third hour drop-off last night was only 66,000, the lowest in four weeks and well below the 321,000 average for the year, indicating that fans stuck around for Rousey’s tag match later in the show.
Hold #712: ARM BAR!

Upcoming Reviews:
FIP in 2005
ROH Validation
PWG All-Star Weekend V: Night 2
DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2013
ROH/CMLL Global Wars Espectacular: Day 3

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests