WWE Raw ratings up with no football competition

Raw last night averaged 1.77 million viewers and drew an 0.46 rating in 18-49, putting it in first place in 18-49 for the night on cable.

This would be considered the lower end of “acceptable” when it comes to bouncing back after football season is over.

The most interesting aspect of the numbers is that the audience grew younger with each hour. The third hour was the least viewed hour, as is normal, but the drop was largely with viewers over 50. Men in particular gained in hour three, which is very rare. Hour three was the highest in 18-49, even though women fell during the show.

One would hope for 10 percent increases across the board coming off a rating against such a huge football game, and the key gains were slightly below that.

Raw was up nine percent in total viewers from last week, as well as up six percent in 18-49, but it actually fell seven percent in 18-34 from last week’s episode against the NFL playoffs.

Raw finished tenth in total viewers, trailing nine news shows.

As compared to the same week last year, Raw was down three percent in viewers, down 12 percent in 18-49, and down six percent in 18-34. Keep in mind that the number of homes getting USA Network was down nine percent, so it’s a lot closer to even if you go by percentages of people who actually get the station and that total viewer numbers based on that and in 18-34 are up, and 18-49 would be down only slightly.

The number two show was Below Deck on Bravo at 1.35 million viewers and an 0.40 in 18-49. ESPN aired college basketball which did 694,000 viewers and an 0.20 and was the only significant sports competition.

The first-to-third hour movement for Raw saw women 18-49 drop three percent, men 18-49 gain nine percent (which is totally unusual especially with the third hour built around the Miz & Maryse skit), 12-34 women dropped 15 percent, 12-34 men gained 22 percent, and people over 50 dropped 20 percent. Basically what they had in hour three appealed far more than a usual hour three with males and women 35-49, had the same appeal with 12-34 as usual, and far less appeal to the largest segment of viewers, those over 50.

The three hours were:

8 p.m. 1.82 million viewers
9 p.m. 1.88 million viewers
10 p.m. 1.59 million viewers