WWE Raw ratings get a big post-Hell in a Cell bump
A combination of the lack of NBA competition, coming off a PPV, and the Cody Rhodes injury led Raw to its best numbers since WrestleMania season.
Raw last night averaged 1.87 million viewers overall and drew a 0.52 rating in 18-49. The major competition was the Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers NHL playoff game on TNT that did 1.99 million viewers and a 0.66.
Raw was first on cable in women 18-49, beating both the NHL playoffs and Below Deck, a show that almost always beats it. Raw was second in every other key demo behind the NHL game. It was eighth in total viewers behind only the NHL and news programming.
It was Raw’s most viewers and best 18-49 rating since right off of WrestleMania.
The increases from Memorial Day were huge, with a 25 percent increase in viewers, 24 percent increase in 18-49, and 17 percent increase in 18-34.
Last year on the same week Raw went against two NBA playoff games, so the show was up 14 percent in viewers year-over-year, and was even in 18-49. However, factoring homes lost by USA Network for a fair comparison, Raw would have been up 23 percent in viewers and up eight percent in 18-49.
The first hour had the most viewers (which has been against the norm), which can pretty well be attributed to Rhodes. But the audience stayed well. Women 18-49 were the same in hour three as hour one, which goes against the grain. Men 18-49 only dropped three percent. Teenage girls grew 16 percent and teenage boys grew 13 percent. The major losses were with people over 50, which were down 16 percent.
The other sports competition was the College Softball World Series. Against the first half of Raw the game drew 1.26 million viewers and a 0.28. Against the second half of Raw the game did 1.30 million viewers and a 0.32.
Miz & Mrs at 11 p.m. averaged 643,000 viewers and drew a 0.21 in 18-49, good for 14th place, getting the big Raw lead-in. The second episode of Miz & Mrs did 441,000 viewers and a 0.16, which was 25th place. Miz & Mrs was third on cable in its time slot for the first episode behind the NHL and softball, and third for the second episode behind the NHL post-game show and softball.
The three hours of Raw were:
- 8 p.m. 1.95 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 1.90 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 1.77 million viewers