TNA Super Impact scores low rating

[mayhem]

"Last Thursday's "Super" edition of TNA iMPACT! building up the Bound for Glory pay-per-view averaged 1.2 million viewers over the course of three hours.

This is fewest number of viewers since the August 14, 2008 episode of iMPACT!."

TNAs ratings have gone down quite considerably recently and this was the impact building BFG. Thoughts on TNAs ratings and what TNA can do to improve them?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, one reason for TNA's decline in ratings can be put on the fact that it's now Fall and there are lots of other shows on tv right now that people are just simply more interested in seeing. There have been some NFL games that've aired on Thursdays as well that have taken a bite out of Impact's ratings as well.

I don't know that I'd say they've gone down "considerably" for the most part. Up until the past few months, Impacts average Nielsen Rating is about 1.2, which I think is equal to around 1.5 million viewers or something in that area. I think average right now is around a 1.0 Nielsen Rating, though it did sink to a low of 0.8 a little while back and that's the lowest the show has had in over a year.

More advertisement certainly couldn't hurt either. I don't know all the ins and outs regarding advertising but I'm curious is TNA is able to just contact other networks and have them air commercials for TNA Impact and its ppvs because Spike has been doing a pretty shitty job of that overall I think. With the exception of Bound For Glory, which I think Spike did avertise to a pretty decent degree, I haven't seen all that much out of them. Spike advertises the crap out of UFC but they just don't put nearly as much effort into it I believe. A lot of interest for the Ultimate Fighter this season has a lot to do with the addition of Kimbo Slice. Even though he's no longer on the show, Spike keeps plugging the possibility that he might return each week if there's an injury and all that. I've been wondering if maybe Spike shouldn't consider moving TNA to the same night as The Ultimate Fighter, move it to an earlier timeslot, then air TNA Impact directly after it.

 

[Big J]

Wasn't it up againest game 1 of the dodgers and phillies? That would be enough to make the rating drop, if I had to choose between a baseball playoff game and TNA I'd pick baseball. Last night Angels -yankees I watched the whole game, would have missed impact except I taped it.

 

[yoyoma4life]

As mentioned above it is simply the fact that there is more competition during the fall. Big J hit on a big one with the MLB playoffs going on now. Also, ESPN has college football on Thursday nights at the same time. To make it more interesting NBA preseason has started and there games are on tv also. WWE is experiencing the same problem with Raw competing with Monday Night Football. Overall there really is no need to read into the ratings too much.

 

[Pedro08]

I read that it was the 3rd hour that brought the rating down. The first 2 hours did a 1.0, which is about average of what Impact had been doing recently. I think the last 1/2 hour of all previews videos was the lowest part of the show. They probably should have spread the videos out throughout the show rather than having them run back to back at the end of the third hour.

 

[Mannic]

I think it was one of the best Impacts in quite a while bar the last 35ish min of just the previews.. that i FF through 90% of just seeing the stuff in between..


I mean really it had match of the year between AJ and angle.. a lot of the hardcore fans that have been watching TNA all along will agree as well one of the best impacts and leading up to a ppv period.. much better then anything the E has done in a while for a "leading up to" show.. really hope TNA starts reaching more fans.. the few weeks leading up to and so far the week after BFG have been pretty damn good

 

[AndarielHalo]

Well, one reason for TNA's decline in ratings can be put on the fact that it's now Fall and there are lots of other shows on tv right now that people are just simply more interested in seeing. There have been some NFL games that've aired on Thursdays as well that have taken a bite out of Impact's ratings as well.
.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!


That's EXACTLY the kind of bullshit excuse pointed out by WrestleCrap writers in their Book of Lists used by bookers to justify their shitty product!

Wrestling doesn't draw well in Summer because schools out and people are on vacation, going to the beaches, hanging out with friends. People don't stay home and watch wrestling in the Summer.

Wrestling doesn't draw well in Winter because there's Thanksgiving and Christmas, shopping, meeting with family, playing out in the snow, going out with friends. Basketball season starts around Winter. Football season starts to peak, then the SuperBowl comes around. People don't stay home and watch wrestling in the Winter.

Wrestling doesn't draw well in Spring because there's school going on, with final exams to study for, and Spring Break and kids going wild and having fun outside, then studying all night for exams. Baseball season starts up in Spring. People don't stay home and watch wrestling in Spring.

Wrestling doesn't draw well in Fall because school starts, and people buy books for school and read them and do schoolwork. They've also got chores to do raking up leaves and such. There's also Baseball season and the World Series. Then Football season starts. People don't stay home and watch wrestling in Fall.*



*Not verbatim from their book; my own worded interpretation.




That's total bullshit. And considering how TNA's gotten NONSTOP 1.0 - 1.3 ratings practically since iMPACT!'s first started, then blaming FOOTBALL on a "decline" in ratings is one of the worst copouts for their shitty booking. Like somehow if there wasn't football, they'd shoot up to 2.0! SMACKDOWN MEDIOCRITY, HERE WE WOULD HAVE COME!




And I DID watch the three hour iMPACT! Here's its summary: A normal length episode of iMPACT! with an extra 20 minutes for the bonus Angle/AJ Styles match. THEN 30 MINUTES DEVOTED TO NOTHING BUT VIDEO PACKAGES AND INTERVIEWS FOR BOUND FOR GLORY!


TNA completely squandered their extra hour. They could have cut away at the stupid BS they waste their usual time on and fit the Angle/AJ match in to make for a quick-paced, killer episode of iMPACT! to go into BFG with. Instead, they wasted 30 minutes on video packages, promos, interviews.


TNA "Creative". And they wonder why Booker leaves in frustration.

 

[HSB]

The problem with wrestling. Ratings are now a primary driver for whether or not a wrestling company can succeed. They always were, but now their big news and talk of the town for the IWC (you can blame the Monday Night Wars for that). Now onto TNA...

'Super' Impact was nothing special. It didn't bolster any huge roll into Bound for Glory and didn't generate any more interest than there already was. Having your fiscal year end in October is probably the worst time ever of the year. October = football in full swing, baseball playoffs, new seasons for primetime TV shows and start of basketball season soon. There is almost no advantage from ANY perspective (especially business perspective) to have BFG their 'KEY' event in October. All of this doesn't apply as much for the WWE since it is an established product. However, for a small company like TNA, these factors are the differences between success and failure.

Another major problem, is the fact that while TNA has great talent and a huge following from the IWC, it DOES NOT and I repeat DOES NOT have the IT factor. It should have been AJ Styles all along but that's another story. They were too busy worrying about being brought to TV, however a lot of their decisions hamper their potential in the coming years when it comes to attracting new fans because of the fact there is not that ONE GUY or fued that defines what TNA brings to the table. WWE has had many, McMahon/Austin, Hogan/Piper hell even Cena/Orton is doing a decent job of that right now. NWA had many of them and so WCW had a bunch as well. A reason you HAD to tune it. Until TNA can realize that feud, that spark, that X-factor they're simply missing, their ratings will remain as is.

 

[2TheMax]

[/QUOTE]TNA completely squandered their extra hour. They could have cut away at the stupid BS they waste their usual time on and fit the Angle/AJ match in to make for a quick-paced, killer episode of iMPACT! to go into BFG with. Instead, they wasted 30 minutes on video packages, promos, interviews.[/QUOTE]


What's wrong with having 30 minutes devoted to their biggest PPV of the year by showing video packages that show the importance of the big matches? You're sounding like it's a bad thing. You wanted a "quick-paced" episode of iMPACT!? That's what you'll get on a regular 2-hour iMPACT! with 3-hours worth of content that they try to squeeze in there every week. Why would you want that on a 3-hour show?

 

[joop]

personally, i just dont like devoting that much time to one show, I hate MLB playoffs because they just go on forever (only watch when its my team involved). When the previous 2 hour shows are running thin on content, I hardly see how stretching them to 3 will help the ratings. If you feel the need to run long, I think vince found the perfect recipe, go commercial free, that way it still ends in 2 hours. This is the main reason I have taken a liking to soccer, not counting special games, its guaranteed to be over on time, then you can go on with your life.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

That's EXACTLY the kind of bullshit excuse pointed out by WrestleCrap writers in their Book of Lists used by bookers to justify their shitty product!


TNA "Creative". And they wonder why Booker leaves in frustration.

LOL.

It has absolutely ZERO to do with the quality of product and everything to do with the "Walmart" mentality of lazy wrestling fans.

To them "Even though WWE isn't great these days, if any other product out there does not have the WWE name on it ... then I'm not interested. Instead, I'll keep bitching about WWE in hopes that it gets better."

I 100% guarantee you that IF the WWE name was on the TNA Impact program, then it would be doing ratings at least comparable to Smackdown, if not higher.

 

[HSB]

I agree with you guys too about the mentality of the fans and it's not necessarily about quality, BUT regardless of the quality of fan or product, TNA does NOT have the X-factor. They simply don't. I WISH they did, believe me. I enjoy TNA as much as the next guy. But...it isn't there and it's a shame that it isn't.

The people who work for TNA, *cough cough* Booker *cough cough* Steiner KNOW that TNA doesn't have that IT factor. But them thinking that their the IT factor themselves and not getting the shine is a complete other story...I don't want to get into that.

Pushing your younger stars is one thing. Them having the IT factor is another.

 

[NSL]

LOL.

It has absolutely ZERO to do with the quality of product and everything to do with the "Walmart" mentality of lazy wrestling fans.

To them "Even though WWE isn't great these days, if any other product out there does not have the WWE name on it ... then I'm not interested. Instead, I'll keep bitching about WWE in hopes that it gets better."

I 100% guarantee you that IF the WWE name was on the TNA Impact program, then it would be doing ratings at least comparable to Smackdown, if not higher.

I think I agree with this guy.

I'm not going to say everyone still watches WWE because of the name or the habit of it, but it's safe to say that some do. Because of that, WWE could be total shit compared to TNA (which it has been), and people won't watch because it's not the WWE. It doesn't have Cena and Taker, so it must be horrible.

I've gotten a few people to watch, with the promise they can watch Superstars after, and they all love it. People need to get used to change. I first started watching religiously when Christian jumped ship, because I was pissed he didn't get the belt in WWE. I saw what was going on, and was blown away.

 

[PEP3]

For Impact to be on a rather sh!tty channel and still draw an average of 1.5 million viewers weekly, to me, is rather impressive.

Call me nuts, but this is a product that was widely un-represented in mainstream media just a few short years ago. Other than internet marks and a few random wrestling fans who ordered those weekly PPVs in the beginning, nobody knew a thing about TNA. Now they are broadcasting a weekly show, putting on some of the best matches in the industry and slowly building a following.

Has TNA jumped into direct competition with WWE overnight? Absolutely not. To expect they would or could is also illogical. To do that would be almost impossible, especially since as an organization, TNA has barely a FRACTION of the financial backing of WWE and only about 18-percent as many years in the market.

As a media relations professional, my guess is that WWE's media/marketing/advertising/PR budget alone is MORE than TNA's entire annual operations budget. Think about that for a second. That means WWE is probably spending just about as much to PROMOTE its product as TNA is to run their whole damn show, INCLUDING paying wrestlers' salaries. That, combined with a 47-year history versus just 7 or so for TNA, and there is no question why WWE is so far ahead in terms of brand recognition.

Now, for those that contend a higher quality product automatically = more viewers, or that more viewers automatically implies better product, think again. Historically speaking, in the entertainment industry, the products with the highest quality are RARELY made for maximum public consumption.

Generally speaking, the most critically-acclaimed films, records/albums/CDs, TV shows, etc., are also the ones that struggle most for attention. And, again speaking in general terms, when those products begin to focus exclusively on becoming fit for mass consumption (TV ratings, box office numbers, record sales, etc.), the quality almost ALWAYS diminishes dramatically. That's also when terms like "Sell Out" start getting thrown around.

Again, people need to stop comparing TNA to WWE and allow the show to stand on its own merits. For a company that's still young, still growing into itself, still finding its legs, and NOT spending unbelievable resources to draw in mainstream viewers who don't really care about the product anyway through gimmicks like "guest hosts," 1.2-1.5 million viewers impressions per week is pretty incredible.

 

[PEP3]

By the way, as I stated, for over a decade I've been a professional in media relations. That said, I'd absolutely LOVE to take on TNA as a client There are so many opportunities to partner TNA with other products/endorsements/media placements, all of which would drive increased brand recognition.

For a new/emerging company, these can all prove incredibly important. In my opinion, they rank right up there in importance with the quality of the wrestling product itself in bringing new fans/followers/attention to the federation.

There is no doubt that, between the cross-promotion with everything from rock bands to friggin' collectors cups at 7/11, WWE is the king of this. TNA needs a dedicated staff of professionals seeking out these kinds of opportunities. There are a million avenues to gaining attention for TNA; they're just not mining into those.

Man, just thinking about the prospects of tackling that assignment makes me salivate!

 

[HSB]

Agreed with you PEP3.

But this goes back to the original point I'm trying to nail home: in order to be a success in the mainstream/other media outlets, you MUST have the one guy with whom that can happen.

Had it not been for Hogan's person, Lou Albano/Lauper, No Holds Barred (even though it was a terrible movie), Piper's crappy movies wouldn't have happen. The interest was built for acting, TV appearances, etc because of one guy. TNA needs that one guy. Cross promotion ONLY works when you have a guy that's an insta-draw. TNA is desperate for a guy to draw.

 

[PEP3]

Yes, they are. The saddest reality of all, though, is that generally in-ring work doesn't have a thing to do with whether or not a person is a draw. Even at his absolute best, Hogan had about five-move skill set . . . and he drew crowds like crazy. Right now, TNA has plenty of people who could work circles around most guys in WWE, but 99% of them just don't have that "It" factor that's necessary. I'll be honest here, and it's not going to make me popular: I don't see that in Styles, either.

 

[mayhem]

Yes, they are. The saddest reality of all, though, is that generally in-ring work doesn't have a thing to do with whether or not a person is a draw. Even at his absolute best, Hogan had about five-move skill set . . . and he drew crowds like crazy. Right now, TNA has plenty of people who could work circles around most guys in WWE, but 99% of them just don't have that "It" factor that's necessary. I'll be honest here, and it's not going to make me popular: I don't see that in Styles, either.

I agree, Styles is way more exciting to watch and much better in the ring than Cena but mostly everyone agrees Cena can draw way more audience to the show and sell more merchandise. Sad indeed for Wrestling fans.

 

[Pedro08]

For Impact to be on a rather sh!tty channel and still draw an average of 1.5 million viewers weekly, to me, is rather impressive.

Call me nuts, but this is a product that was widely un-represented in mainstream media just a few short years ago. Other than internet marks and a few random wrestling fans who ordered those weekly PPVs in the beginning, nobody knew a thing about TNA. Now they are broadcasting a weekly show, putting on some of the best matches in the industry and slowly building a following.

Has TNA jumped into direct competition with WWE overnight? Absolutely not. To expect they would or could is also illogical. To do that would be almost impossible, especially since as an organization, TNA has barely a FRACTION of the financial backing of WWE and only about 18-percent as many years in the market.

As a media relations professional, my guess is that WWE's media/marketing/advertising/PR budget alone is MORE than TNA's entire annual operations budget. Think about that for a second. That means WWE is probably spending just about as much to PROMOTE its product as TNA is to run their whole damn show, INCLUDING paying wrestlers' salaries. That, combined with a 47-year history versus just 7 or so for TNA, and there is no question why WWE is so far ahead in terms of brand recognition.

Now, for those that contend a higher quality product automatically = more viewers, or that more viewers automatically implies better product, think again. Historically speaking, in the entertainment industry, the products with the highest quality are RARELY made for maximum public consumption.

Generally speaking, the most critically-acclaimed films, records/albums/CDs, TV shows, etc., are also the ones that struggle most for attention. And, again speaking in general terms, when those products begin to focus exclusively on becoming fit for mass consumption (TV ratings, box office numbers, record sales, etc.), the quality almost ALWAYS diminishes dramatically. That's also when terms like "Sell Out" start getting thrown around.

Again, people need to stop comparing TNA to WWE and allow the show to stand on its own merits. For a company that's still young, still growing into itself, still finding its legs, and NOT spending unbelievable resources to draw in mainstream viewers who don't really care about the product anyway through gimmicks like "guest hosts," 1.2-1.5 million viewers impressions per week is pretty incredible.

Excellent post! I totally agree that it's unreasonable to compare TNA to the WWE right not, given the differences you cited. TNA had come a long way in 7 years, a lot further than many people thought. Of course they've made mistakes and could do alot of things better, such as marketing, but they have also done alot of things well.

With a new tv contract and the prospect of another show, things are going pretty well overall. Hopefully TNA can continue to build their product to the point that they can challenge the WWE and if the company is able to last for even half as long as WWE has, then they will be a success.

 

[XgringolocoX]

Spike advertises the crap out of UFC but they just don't put nearly as much effort into it I believe. A lot of interest for the Ultimate Fighter this season has a lot to do with the addition of Kimbo Slice. Even though he's no longer on the show, Spike keeps plugging the possibility that he might return each week if there's an injury and all that. I've been wondering if maybe Spike shouldn't consider moving TNA to the same night as The Ultimate Fighter, move it to an earlier timeslot, then air TNA Impact directly after it.

To consider the above statement you'd have to consider the numbers each organization brings to SPIKE TV. UFC = millions!!! .....TNA not so much....

SPIKE gets a MUCH better return on the advertizing investment with the UFC plain n simple. They provide a far greater product than TNA on a consistant basis. This is why you see the gap in advertizing between the two.

Should TNA start putting out a half decent product you might see this change.
I agree with the OP, TNA needs to learn how to maximize thier TV exposure and stop squandering it. I give these guys 3 to 5 years before they fold or are sold.

 

[SavageTaker]

I’m not really surprised that they drew such a low rating. Other than the fact that they were facing strong competition from other networks, there was a lack of hype for this show. This was the first ever 3 hour Impact if I’m not mistaken and for how long did they hype it? For like a week? Maybe a little more. Anyways, this was supposed to be a big show and they should have hyped it for weeks so that people knew they were going to be for 3 hours.

Another problem I saw was that all of the hype for the last hour was just videos. While the videos were great and some of the best I’ve seen from TNA, it might have helped if they were scattered throughout the show. Maybe once people realized that the last hour was just going to be videos and nothing else, they decided to switch the channel.

Like I said, I’m not surprised with the rating, but I hope that it doesn’t discourage them from running more three hour shows in the future. Hopefully they learn from their mistakes this time around and next time they do a 3 hour show they’ll get a higher rating.

 

[PEP3]

To consider the above statement you'd have to consider the numbers each organization brings to SPIKE TV. UFC = millions!!! .....TNA not so much....

SPIKE gets a MUCH better return on the advertizing investment with the UFC plain n simple. They provide a far greater product than TNA on a consistant basis. This is why you see the gap in advertizing between the two.

Should TNA start putting out a half decent product you might see this change.
I agree with the OP, TNA needs to learn how to maximize thier TV exposure and stop squandering it. I give these guys 3 to 5 years before they fold or are sold.

In all honesty, if SPIKE TV started promoting TNA to even a fraction of the extent they promote UFC, I would almost guarantee they'd see an increase in viewers. Not to mention if they promoted TNA broadcasts DURING the UFC shows, that would dramatically increase the possible cross-over viewers, especially with Lashley now doing the MMA scene as well. It is a natural tie-in. Why SPIKE isn't re-investing in itself is something that confuses me. Unless the UFC broadcasts are completely soldout in terms of available commercial slots, it would literally cost them nothing to do these promotions during the shows -- and the pay off could be immense.

 

[The Gribbler]

Really I don't think there was much they could have done - they were up against some stiff competition and I feel that they put on as good a show as they could have against the aforementioned competition.

The card was solid top to bottom, and it was a great show to build on the current story lines.

So I feel that they were unfortunate to have drawn so poorly.

Just My Opinion