By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

PWTorch has received minute-by-minute and quarter-hour TV ratings for last Thursday's TNA Impact on May 30, which was the first episode at 9:00 p.m. EST. This was the lowest-rated episode of the year going head-to-head with TNT's NBA Playoffs Game 5 featuring the Miami Heat.

The ratings are for the key demographic of males 18-49, which captures the widest range of TNA's viewing audience. All ratings & viewership references below are for the m18-49 demographic to avoid redundancy.

- Most notable is the TV main event in Q8 drew by far the lowest quarter-hour rating of the show. Up against the conclusion of Heat vs. Pacers, the A.J. Styles vs. Mr. Anderson match scored a 0.23 rating and averaged a show-low 145,000 viewers.

Included was the 10:48 p.m. minute scoring the lowest rating of the broadcast. This was during a mid-match commercial for the Styles-Anderson match.

- Impact scored identical ratings (0.35) and nearly-identical viewership in both the 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. hours.

First Hour Break Down

Q1: Despite shifting back one hour, Impact struggled out of the gate with a 0.32 rating. This was the lowest rating of the first hour. The segment featured Bully Ray in the ring, the first-half of the opening tag match of Sting & Joseph Park vs. Team 3D, and one commercial.

Q2: Impact increased to a 0.35 rating for the second-half of the tag match, one commercial, and the first-half of TNA president Dixie Carter's Hall of Fame speech.

Looking within the quarter-hour, Impact peaked with 270,000 viewers at 9:22 p.m. for the conclusion of the tag match. Impact then dropped off to an average of 200,000 viewers for the remainder of the quarter-hour.

Q3: Impact stayed at a 0.35 rating for the second-half of Carter's speech, Samoa Joe vs. Garett Bischoff, and two full commercial breaks.

The peak was 262,000 viewers at 9:32 p.m. when Joe & Magnus hit the ring to clear away Aces & Eights. The follow-up match of Joe vs. Bischoff only reached 231,000 viewers at most.

Q4: Impact increased to a first-hour-high 0.38 rating. This segment included the Hogans backstage, ring introductions for the top-of-the-hour main event, and the first few minutes of an eight-man tag match.

The segment was boosted by the most viewers of the hour at 9:57, 9:58, and 9:59 p.m. for the start of the tag match.

Second Hour Break Down

Q5: Impact bumped up to a 0.41 rating for the conclusion of the eight-man tag match, Aces & Eights backstage, one commercial, and the first-half of Mickie James's "celebration" speech.

Within the segment, Impact averaged 301,000 viewers at 10:07 p.m. for the conclusion of the tag match. After the break, Impact bumped up to 344,000 viewers at 10:13 p,m. for Mickie's speech.

Q6: Impact grew to a show-high 0.43 rating for the second-half of the Knockouts segment, one commercial, and the first-half of a mixed tag match.

Within the quarter-hour, the audience built throughout the promo segment before peaking with 345,000 viewers at 10:21 p.m., which was the most-watched minute of the entire show. When Impact returned from break for the mixed tag match, Impact could only get back to 249,000 viewers at 10:29 p.m.

Q7: Impact dropped to a 0.34 rating for the second-half of the mixed tag match, one commercial, a Sting video package, and the first-half of the Styles vs. Anderson main event.

Within the quarter-hour, Impact peaked with 265,000 viewers at 10:31 p.m. for the finale of the tag match. Impact did not come close to this during the remainder of the quarter-hour. The closest was 246,000 viewers at 10:43 p.m. when the bell sounded for the start of the main event.

Q8: Impact dropped to a show-low 0.23 rating for the finale of Styles vs. Anderson, one mid-match commercial, and a show-closing brawl to set up Slammiversary.

Two minutes into the match at 10:45 p.m., Impact averaged 230,000 viewers. After the mid-match commercial, the match only re-built to 218,000 viewers at 10:54 p.m. as the NBA game was concluding.

The post-main event brawl then increased to 251,000 viewers at 10:58 p.m. before dipping to 231,000 viewers at 10:59 p.m. when Impact went off the air.

M18-49 Show Summary

Hour 1 - 0.35 rating / 220,250 viewers
Hour 2 - 0.35 rating / 222,500 viewers
OVRL AVG. - 0.35 rating / 221,375 viewers

M18-49 Quarter-Hours

Q1: 0.32 rating
Q2: 0.35 rating
Q3: 0.35 rating
Q4: 0.38 rating
HOUR: 0.35 rating

Q5: 0.41 rating
Q6: 0.43 rating
Q7: 0.34 rating
Q8: 0.23 rating
HOUR: 0.35 rating

OVERALL - 0.35 rating / 221,375 viewers

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