Raw, going against what turned out to be the final game of the NBA playoffs this season, was predictably down with 1.60 million viewers and a 0.46 rating in 18-49.
You can largely throw the numbers out as far as significance goes given the competition. The show declined greatly after hour one, which has not been the pattern in recent months, as it became clear the Denver Nuggets were about to finish the series in game five.
It was Raw's lowest 18-49 number since the end of the football season, and will likely be the lowest 18-49 number until the upcoming football season starts and Raw goes against a major game.
The NBA Finals game on ABC averaged 13.08 million viewers and drew a 3.98 rating in 18-49 to dominate television. Raw was second on all of television, and first by a wide margin on cable, as ESPN's NBA pregame show only did 665,000 viewers and a 0.24 for second place.
Raw won in every key demo on cable and was 11th in total viewers behind only news shows.
Raw was down 13 percent in viewers from last week, which had an NHL game head-to-head but no NBA game. It was down 17 percent in 18-49 and down only five percent in 18-34.
From one year ago, which also went against the NBA Finals, but not the last game, Raw was down six percent in viewers, up seven percent in 18-49, and up 41 percent in 18-34. Factoring out homes no longer having access to USA Network, the real percentage drops by actual percentage of those with the station is that viewers were even, 18-49 was up 13 percent, and 18-34 was up 49 percent.
The first-to-third hour drop was the largest in some time, again likely due to the game. Women 18-49 dropped 18 percent from the first to the third hour, men 18-49 dropped 14 percent, women 12-34 dropped 34 percent, men 12-34 dropped 18 percent, and people over 50 dropped 19 percent.
The three hours were:
- 8 p.m. 1.75 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 1.60 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 1.44 million viewers
