Raw last night averaged 1.89 million viewers and drew a 0.61 rating in 18-49, numbers that would normally be considered good, but all things considered the total viewer number had to be a disappointment.
Last year's Raw after SummerSlam did 2.23 million viewers, although the 0.62 in 18-49 isn't much different from this year and that's with a decline in homes that get the USA Network.
Still, with the commercial-free first hour and coming the day after one of the biggest shows of the year, and the general growth almost every week, one would have thought it would have topped two million viewers.
Over the past three years, the 18-49 bump averaged 37 percent while this year the number was 14 percent.
The show was up seven percent in viewers from last week, up 14 percent in 18-49, and up 21 percent in 18-34.
As compared to the episode after SummerSlam last year, Raw was down 20 percent in viewers, down one percent in 18-49, and up 15 percent in 18-34. So the decline was largely with people over 50.
The other surprise is that with the first hour commercial-free, it created an artificial high, but the drop-off of viewers during the show was minimal. Usually after a PPV there is a big first hour with people watching out of curiosity, but a big drop in hour three.
The three hours were:
- 8 p.m. 1.96 million
- 9 p.m. 1.88 million
- 10 p.m. 1.82 million
