WWE Raw ratings steady despite going against NFL opening week

Loading up Raw and giving it the In Your Face theme worked for at least the first two hours as while the total audience for last night’s show was down, the key demos were up against the NFL, which was way down in its opening Monday night.

Raw averaged 1.69 million viewers and 0.50 in 18-49, down two percent from last week in viewers and up four percent in 18-49. With anything less that a strong lineup with a Women’s title bout, a champions vs. champions match, a cage match, and a Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee match, the show would have been expected to do near record lows.

There was a 16 percent first-to-third hour drop, a larger drop than has been usual.

The 7 p.m. NFL game, the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants, did 10.76 million viewers and 3.62 in 18-49, numbers down 18 percent overall and 18 percent in 18-49 from the opening week last year. The late game with the Tennessee Titans vs. Denver Broncos did 7.70 million viewers and 2.92 in 18-49, down 28 percent in viewers and 22 percent in 18-49 from the late game last year. There was no NBA game last night. The NHL game drew 829,000 viewers and 0.24 in 18-49.

Conversely, Raw was down 26 percent in viewers, 31 percent in 18-49, and 34 percent in 18-34 from the same week last year.

Raw was fourth in 18-49 behind both NFL games and the SportsCenter show that aired at 1:31 a.m. after the second game. In total viewers, Raw was 25th for the night, although the only shows ahead were the three ESPN football related shows and news shows.

As far as the audience leaving from hour one to hour three, the drop was nine percent with women 18-49, 16 percent with men 18-49, a four percent increase in teenage girls, 14 percent decrease in teenage boys, and a 16 percent decrease in people over 50.

The three hours were:

• 8 p.m. 1.81 million viewers
• 9 p.m. 1.73 million viewers
• 10 p.m. 1.53 million viewers