WWE Raw ratings rebound strongly for second week on Syfy
Raw last night did great numbers when you consider the move to Syfy, averaging 1.60 million viewers and drawing an 0.44 rating in 18-49, numbers not all that much lower than the show had been doing on USA Network.
Raw was first for the night in 18-49 and in every other key demo. It was 18th for total viewers with the only programming ahead being news shows on Fox News Channel.
The rating was likely that, unlike last week, the audience knew the show was on Syfy from the start, and the company has momentum leading to WrestleMania by bringing back key names from the past, notably Brock Lesnar. Raw did have a major third-hour drop, likely among the biggest ever from hour two to hour three because the show peaked in hour two.
The show was also helped by having no commercials in hour one and picture-in-picture commercials for most of the rest of the episode. But that was also the case last week.
Raw was up nine percent in viewers, up 26 percent in 18-49, and up 25 percent in 18-34 from last week.
Raw was first in 18-49 by a huge margin, nearly doubling second-place Tucker Carlson and Hannity, which both did 0.24 ratings. The Olympics on USA Network did just 1.07 million viewers and an 0.21 in prime time, and the NBC version head-to-head did only 7.87 million viewers and a 1.47.
As compared to the same week last year, Raw was down 11 percent in viewers, down 23 percent in 18-49, but actually up three percent in 18-34. Considering last year was on USA Network and this year was on Syfy, the drop isn’t of significance, particularly when you look at the rest of television on the night.
From hour one to three, women 18-49 dropped six percent, men 18-49 dropped 22 percent, teenage girls dropped 19 percent, teenage boys dropped 22 percent, and people over 50 dropped 17 percent.
Raw will return to airing on USA Network next Monday.
The three hours for last night’s show were:
- 8 p.m. 1.69 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 1.71 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 1.40 million viewers