SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw (Aug. 7) drew a 2.20 rating, above the 2017 average of 2.12 and above last week’s rating of 2.12. The ten-week rolling average headed into this week was 2.00.
The July average was 2.07, above the June average of 1.96 and the May average of 1.88. WWE has been on an upward trend since the big drop-off from the January through April averages which were all in the 2.18 to 2.32 range.
This week’s first hour viewership was 3.263 million, then peaked for hour two at 3.314 million, and dropped as usual for the third hour to 3.144 million. The drop-off from the first to the third hour was just 119,000, half or the average this year of 232,000.
One year ago this week drew a 2.05 rating. It’s the first times since January 30 that Raw outdrew the year-ago number.
Keller’s Analysis: There is a sense of momentum right now for the Raw brand headed into Summerslam based on the hot build-up to the Brock Lesnar Fatal Four-way Universal Title defense at Summerslam. Raw has also been buoyed by the Dean Ambrose-Seth Rollins will-they-or-won’t-they saga and, prior to that, the Kurt Angle-Jason Jordan mystery. If “free agent” John Cena moves over to Raw once Monday Night Football starts, that could help Raw retain some ratings momentum after Summerslam.
See what happens when Stephanie McMahon is off TV. The ratings go up. Nobody likes to see her bitch/heel character that she has been doing for more years than I can remember