The "bounce back" Raw last night ended up doing 1.69 million viewers with a 0.55 in 18-49.
The audience was back up to pre-football levels. The key this week was that it didn't start strong, but held the audience better in hour three due to the Cody Rhodes/C.M. Punk segment that did 1.91 million viewers and a 0.61, and the Damien Priest vs. Drew McIntyre main event, which did 1.60 million viewers.
The standings for the night are not available but a 0.55 will likely be the highest rating of the week for an entertainment show.
The show was up 19 percent in viewers and 22 percent in 18-49 from last week’s show going against an NFL playoff game and the Emmy Awards last week.
In August, the last month before the NFL season started, the show averaged 1.73 million viewers and a 0.54 in 18-49.
From one year ago, the show was way down, but that was a Raw anniversary show loaded up with big names from the past, so that comparison really doesn't tell you a lot. It was down year-to-year 28 percent in viewers and down 20 percent in 18-49 from that show.
Next week’s show after the Rumble will be a better gauge of where things stack up during football season.
The audience holding up so strongly seems to be driven by the Punk-Rhodes segment which was by far the highest number of the show even though hour three and the main event grew significantly from the prior quarter.
The three hours were:
- 8 p.m. 1.71 million viewers
- 9 p.m. 1.72 million viewers
- 10 p.m. 1.63 million viewers
