5/2 Raw TV Ratings – how did the post-Payback episode fare?

Monday’s WWE Raw following the Payback PPV reversed the downward trend since WrestleMania.

WWE Raw TV Ratings Tracking

May 2: WWE Raw scored a 2.35 rating the night after Payback, up from a 2.20 rating last week.

To put the number in perspective, the rating was well below the 2016 average of a 2.54 rating. Also, the show did slightly better than the taped U.K. Raw on April 18.

– Raw’s three hours averaged 3.432 million viewers, up 10 percent (about 300,000 viewers) from last week. Hourly Break Down:

• First Hour: 3.458 million viewers for immediate PPV fall-out
• Second Hour: 3.457 million viewers
• Third Hour: 3.383 million viewers. A decline of only two percent is a small victory for Raw’s third hour.

– DEMOGRAPHICS: Raw improved one-tenth of a rating in adults 18-49 and males 18-34 compared to last week’s year-low levels. The improvement was more pronounced in males 18-49, surpassing U.K. Raw from two weeks ago.

Analysis: It’s an uptick, which is good. But, it’s still in that historical low territory. It will be interesting to see how the next two Raws fare without a PPV to follow up on.