It was a mixed bag for WWE Raw on a night where they avoided any competition from the NBA playoffs.
The May 15 episode from Greensboro averaged 1,716,000 viewers and approximately 752,000 (0.58) in the 18-49 demographic as it ranked second among cable originals behind the NHL playoffs. (Showbuzz Daily and Wrestlenomics)
The positive was that the 12 percent increase in the key demo resulted in a four-week high among the 18-49 audience. However, the four percent decline in overall viewership resulted in Raw’s lowest audience since March 13.
Game 7 between the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken topped cable on Monday with 2,746,000 viewers and 0.97 in the demo on ESPN.
The lack of NBA competition helped Raw’s younger audience, which included females in the 18-49 demo increasing by 19 percent this week (highest since April 17) and males growing by nine percent (highest since April 10).
Adults 18-34 grew by 14 percent with adults 35-49 up by 11 percent and adults 50+ decreasing by 11 percent from last week.
Raw got off to a weak start with the first hour averaging 1,694,000 viewers and 0.56 in the demo. It was the second-lowest amount of viewers for the opening hour of Raw this year and coincided with the start of the NHL game on ESPN.
In the second hour, the show increased to 1,820,000 viewers and 0.62 in the demo before dropping down to 1,633,000 viewers and 0.55 in the final hour. The third hour kicked off with Cody Rhodes and ended with the final half-hour dedicated to Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens against Damian Priest & Finn Balor.
From hour one to hour three, overall viewership only dropped by four percent while the 18-49 demo dropped by two percent. Men in the key demo grew by three percent throughout the show while females dropped by 7.5 percent.
In Canada, WWE Raw averaged approximately 243,100 viewers and 112,100 in the 25-54 demographic on Sportsnet 360. Overall viewership fell by eight percent and the demo dropped by four percent from last week’s figures. The sports competition in Canada was lightened significantly over the weekend with the elimination of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the NHL playoffs.
Raw ranked fifth for the night among sports programs in Canada and was third in the demo behind the Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees and Dallas Stars vs. Seattle Kraken games.
