Raw put on quite a show last night, but unfortunately, it didn’t hit the numbers they hoped for. The show averaged 1.78 million viewers and a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was a dip from their recent ratings surge.
It’s worth noting that Raw faced some tough competition, going up against not one, but two NBA playoff games. The first two hours went up against the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics, which drew in a whopping 4,741,000 viewers and a 1.64 rating, while the third hour went up against the Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets, which brought in 4,542,000 viewers and a 1.62 rating. In addition, the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils game on ESPN also drew in 2.05 million viewers and a 0.69 rating.
Despite the tough competition, Raw managed to land in the fifth spot for the night, behind the three NBA playoff games and Inside the NBA playoffs on TNT. The show also landed in fifth place for multiple demographics, including women and men aged 18-49 and 12-34.
However, there’s good news for Raw fans in the future, as the show is expected to climb higher in the total viewer standings on Mondays due to the decline of Fox News. Raw was down two percent in viewers and three percent in the 18-49 demographic from the previous week, but it’s up 12 percent in viewers, 43 percent in the 18-49 demographic, and 82 percent in the 18-34 demographic from one year ago.
Despite the ratings dip, Raw beat out everything else on television except for American Idol on ABC, which pulled in a 0.58 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Raw’s dominance was particularly evident in the 18-34 demographic, where it handily beat everything on network television except for the NBA and NHL playoffs.
While the show did experience some normal declines with viewers above the age of 35, it was able to retain a strong following among younger viewers, particularly teenage boys. Raw put on an entertaining show, but it will be interesting to see how the ratings fare in the coming weeks.
