In the world of sports entertainment, WWE Raw proved its resilience against the NBA and NHL playoffs on Monday night. Despite facing fierce competition, the last 49 minutes of the show managed to pull in an impressive 1.82 million viewers, earning an 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic and an 0.40 rating in the 18-34 demographic.
The show secured fourth place for the night on cable and surpassed all programs on network TV, except for American Idol, which received an 0.61 rating. The two NBA games on TBS and Inside the NBA both outperformed Raw, with an 0.73 rating from 1:07-2 AM.
Raw faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat NBA game until 10:11 PM (3,497,000/1.24), and the LA Lakers vs. Memphis Grizzlies game after 10:11 PM (4,264,000/0.164). The latter game featured the iconic LeBron James.
Raw also went head-to-head with three NHL playoff games: the New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers game on ESPN (1,042,000/0.36); the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning game on TBS (803,000/0.29) and the Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets game on ESPN (482,000/0.18).
Despite the tough competition, Raw placed third in women 18-49, fourth in men 18-49, and fourth in the 18-34 category, trailing the same NBA games and Inside the NBA. It was third in women 12-34, fourth in men 12-34, and ninth in total viewers, falling behind two NBA games and six news programs.
One major highlight of the night was Bad Bunny’s appearance, which was reserved for hour three. The move proved to be a hit among younger viewers, with hour three surpassing hour one in ratings among women 18-49, 18-34, women 12-34, and men 12-34, a rare occurrence. Impressively, hour three managed to attract viewers despite competing against a stronger NBA playoff game.
Overall, Raw’s number of viewers remained steady compared to the previous week, with an eight percent decline in the 18-49 demographic and a seven percent decrease in the 18-34 demographic. Nevertheless, the show’s ratings were still remarkable, given the competition it faced. Compared to last year, Raw’s viewership increased by 13 percent, with a 27 percent increase in the 18-49 demographic and a 48 percent increase in the 18-34 demographic, a significant achievement among younger viewers.
In terms of the changes from the first to third hour, which often experience a drop in ratings, women 18-49 increased by five percent, men 18-49 decreased by four percent, women 12-34 increased by 13 percent, and men 12-34 increased by 21 percent. However, the over-50 demographic decreased by 13 percent.
Bad Bunny’s appearance likely played a significant role in the show’s better-than-expected performance, particularly among younger viewers. Overall, Raw’s three-hour breakdown showed 1.84 million viewers at 8 PM, 1.94 million viewers at 9 PM, and 1.67 million viewers at 10 PM.
