SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Last night’s (Feb. 27) episode of WWE Monday Night Raw drew a 2.16 live viewership and same night DVR rating, slightly below the February average of 2.18 and tied with ten week rolling average headed into this week of 2.16. The Raw live viewership and same night DVR rating a year ago was 2.62.
The dropoff from the first hour to the third hour was 209,000, which was below the prior ten week average of 251,000. That means Raw held the audience between from the first to the third hour better than is typical lately, reflecting well on anticipation for Samoa Joe vs. Cesaro, the Seth Rollins live interview, and the Roman Reigns-Braun Strowman contract signing. The hourly viewership was 3.13 million first hour, 3.23 million second hour, and 2.92 million third hour.
Keller’s Analysis: This is another typical week without a lot noteworthy that should either encourage or alarm WWE. After a hot show last week, last night’s show felt more flat and more blah than usual lately, but it didn’t lead to a sharp dropoff from the first to third hour. The biggest downside is how many fewer people watch Raw on Monday nights on USA Network than just a year ago, with the rating going from a 2.62 a year ago this week to a 2.16 last night, a 17 percent dropoff. The average this year is 2.19 compared to 2.56 through this date a year ago, a dropoff of 16 percent.
Easily the worst Raw since the brand split. No interesting stories being told and an absolutely dead crowd. At least we were spared the extremely tired This is Awesome and You Deserve it chants.