5/23 Raw TV Quarter-Hour Ratings – which segments were the most-watched following Extreme Rules?

The quarter-hour ratings for Monday’s post-Extreme Rules Raw episode indicate strong interest for the immediate PPV fall-out, dips at the end of each hour, solid increases at the top of the each hour (including the over-run), and very noticeable viewer fatigue in the third hour.

It’s the typical Raw TV pattern, especially for a post-PPV episode where the audience tunes in at the start of the show (now conditioned for the earlier 8:00 p.m. EST start) to see how WWE follows up on the previous night’s PPV.

Because of that early tune-in, there was a significant late tune-out.

On a Raw not following a PPV, WWE tries to hit the sweet spot of catching the most viewers in the middle of the show when there is cross-over between the early and late arrivers before the “party dissipates.”

On a post-PPV Raw, the sweet spot is the opening segment wrapping up the previous PPV and setting the stage for the next PPV. As a result, the third hour really suffers.

May 23 Raw – Top Segments

(1) Opening Segment – Seth Rollins, then Roman Reigns.

(2) Third Quarter-Hour – Conclusion of Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus and New Day cake spot.

(3) Charlotte & Ric Flair in-ring segment at top of the third hour representing the “natural conclusion of the show.”

(4) Enzo Amore’s return with Big Cass in the middle of the second hour.

– Although not in the Top 5 in terms of viewership, the A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens main event produced a decent over-run bump after third hour viewership fatigue.

***

PWTorch received a quarter-hour and minute-by-minute break down in the bellwether males 18-49 demographic…

May 23 Raw – M18-49 Break Down

OVERALL SHOW: 1.47 average rating / 925,000 average viewers (nearly identical to over-run)

– Q1: 1.68 rating / 1.059 million viewers

• This was the peak audience of the show for Seth Rollins’s big return promo, confrontation with Roman Reigns, and MITB main event announcement. This was the only segment to average more than 1.0 million viewers.

– Q2: 1.52 rating / 955,000 viewers (-9.8% from previous)

• There were two commercial breaks dragging down the follow-up audience.
• The peak audience of the entire show was 1.199 million viewers at 8:15 p.m. spilling into Q2 for the conclusion to the opening segment.

– Q3: 1.54 rating / 970,000 viewers (+1.6%)

• There was a peak for the conclusion of Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus, then a similar peak for New Day’s cake spot after a commercial.

– Q4: 1.42 rating / 896,467 viewers (-7.6%)

• There were two commercial breaks dragging down the follow-up audience.
• The actual content of New Day vs. Social Outcasts held up well following the pre-match cake bit.

FIRST HOUR: 1.54 average rating / 970,117 average viewers

– Q5: 1.50 rating / 945,000 viewers (+5.4%, but below First Hour average)

• IC champion The Miz vs. Cesaro held up well, but did not have a significant top-of-the-hour bump.

– Q6: 1.50 rating / 942,000 viewers (essentially even)

• Chris Jericho vs. Apollo Crews in a MITB qualifying match held steady.

– Q7: 1.49 rating / 939,000 viewers (essentially even)

• Enzo Amore’s return with Big Cass held steady.

– Q8: 1.45 rating / 920,214 (-2.0%)

• There were two commercial breaks dragging down the audience.
• The audience held up, though, due to a strong two minutes before the first commercial and interest in the follow-up Big Cass vs. Dudley match.

SECOND HOUR: 1.48 average rating / 936,554 average viewers (-3.5% from First Hour)

– Q9: 1.53 rating / 965,000 viewers (+4.9%)

• This was the “natural main event segment” for Charlotte and Ric Flair’s in-ring verbal exchange.
• Included were five consecutive minutes drawing more than 1.0 million viewers until a commercial break. It points to Charlotte’s promo (and Flair’s tears) holding the audience’s attention.

– Q10: 1.38 rating / 867,000 viewers (-10.2%)

• And the exodus started. Affected this week was the Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler face vs. face MITB qualifying match.
• No minute of the segment reached 1.0 million viewers; the peak audience was 982,000 viewers at 10:19 p.m. for the first-half of the match.

– Q11: 1.34 rating / 847,000 viewers (-2.3%)

• The third hour exodus continued. The peak was 959,000 viewers at 10:44 p.m. for the conclusion of A.J. Styles ending his relationship with The Club.

– Q12: 1.27 rating / 797,000 viewers (-5.9% from previous, -17.4% from Q9)

• The third hour exodus was complete with two commercial breaks and the first-half of the A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens main event.

THIRD HOUR: 1.47 average rating / 869,000 average viewers (-10.4% from first hour, -7.2% from Second Hour)

– Q13 Over-Run: 1.47 rating / 928,667 viewers (+16.5% from Q12)

• The over-run jumped back to nearly an exact match to the overall show average.
• The main event of A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens attempted to bring the show back to a decent conclusion after the third hour decline.
  • 11:00 p.m.: 916,000 viewers
  • 11:01 p.m.: 905,000 viewers
  • 11:02 p.m.: 937,000 viewers
  • 11:03 p.m.: 933,000 viewers
  • 11:04 p.m.: 955,000 viewers
  • 11:05 p.m.: 924,000 viewers
  • 11:06 p.m.: 933,000 viewers
  • 11:07 p.m.: 952,000 viewers
  • 11:08 p.m.: 903,000 viewers going off-air

OVERALL SHOW: 1.47 average rating / 925,000 average viewers (nearly identical to over-run)