Despite the Post-PPV Bump, Younger Demographics Turn Their Attention Elsewhere
The aftermath of the Payback event brought a noticeable surge in WWE Raw’s viewership, marking the highest numbers since the commencement of the current NFL season. However, the 18-49 demographic witnessed a notable dip.
Raw’s recent episode garnered an average of 1.56 million viewers, securing a 0.43 rating in the 18-49 age bracket. This was in the face of stiff competition from the Raiders-Packers Monday Night Football game and concurrent baseball playoff matches.
The football face-off amassed a staggering 17.38 million viewers across various channels, slightly increasing from the previous week’s 16.59 million. Adding to Raw’s competition were two pivotal baseball games on TBS, which collectively drew over 5 million viewers.
Historically, WWE experiences a viewership uptick following a PPV event. True to form, Raw’s viewership rose by three percent from the previous week. However, the 18-49 demographic saw an 11 percent decline, with an even steeper 20 percent drop in the 18-34 age group. This shift in younger viewers can likely be attributed to the baseball playoffs. Interestingly, Raw witnessed a significant rise in viewership among those over 50.
The episode’s highlight was the opening segment featuring Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre, following the typical ratings trajectory for the show. The main event, a tag team match with Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso squaring off against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, pulled in 1.40 million viewers.
Year-over-year comparisons show Raw’s viewership down by 15 percent, with a 22 percent decline in the 18-49 demographic and a 20 percent drop in the 18-34 group. It’s worth noting that last year’s numbers were bolstered by a DX reunion and the anticipated return of Bray Wyatt, which didn’t materialize in that episode. This year’s Raw episodes have generally seen an uptick in younger viewers compared to the same period last year, making the recent decline an outlier.
**Hourly Breakdown:**
– 8 p.m.: 1.62 million viewers
– 9 p.m.: 1.61 million viewers
– 10 p.m.: 1.45 million viewers
