RAW on broadcast TV?

[Nev]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/arts/television/24ratings.html?ref=arts

Broadcast television has been taking a beating in the ratings lately. It can't attract young viewers or a great number of male viewers for that matter.

The reason why I'm posting this because I saw this on WWE.com:

Additionally, Raw was watched by more people than any program on ABC, NBC, FOX or CW Monday night. And Raw was watched by 2,251,000 females, beating all programming on CW or Lifetime.

A cable television show beating the ratings of all broadcast TV programs that time slot? Wow.

This was on average the highest amount of raw viewers since the very last episode of RAW before the brand extension. And it's 7.3 million viewers in the second hour is a broadcast-like rating for a 10 pm time slot.

With the PG era slowly blossoming, you think WWE could make a return to NBC? Or join CBS, FOX, or ABC? [ABC is currently the most popular in this era]

And I'm talking about RAW only, SD! is already on MyNetworkTV**, the least popular channel.

[Also, the reason why a 4.8 rating equals 7.3 million people, where in the year 1998 that would be a 5.5 rating, is basically because more people have cable TV and the high amount of international viewers that RAW attracts]

 

[Slyfox696]

While it may do better ratings, it is no where NEAR on the same level as being able to sell advertising for. Networks don't care about ratings, they care about selling advertising. The ratings just show how many people they are selling their ads to. But, wrestling generally attracts a very narrow demographic of fan (although, better now than ever before I believe), and it's not a demographic that is going to make networks a lot of money.

I think it's best for everyone for Raw to stay where it is.

 

[enigmaticdude]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/arts/television/24ratings.html?ref=arts

Broadcast television has been taking a beating in the ratings lately. It can't attract young viewers or a great number of male viewers for that matter.

The reason why I'm posting this because I saw this on WWE.com:

Additionally, Raw was watched by more people than any program on ABC, NBC, FOX or CW Monday night. And Raw was watched by 2,251,000 females, beating all programming on CW or Lifetime.

A cable television show beating the ratings of all broadcast TV programs that time slot? Wow.

This was on average the highest amount of raw viewers since the very last episode of RAW before the brand extension. And it's 7.3 million viewers in the second hour is a broadcast-like rating for a 10 pm time slot.

With the PG era slowly blossoming, you think WWE could make a return to NBC? Or join CBS, FOX, or ABC? [ABC is currently the most popular in this era]

And I'm talking about RAW only, SD! is already on the CW, the least popular channel.

[Also, the reason why a 4.8 rating equals 7.3 million people, where in the year 1998 that would be a 5.5 rating, is basically because more people have cable TV and the high amount of international viewers that RAW attracts]

Correction, Smackdown is on MyNetworkTV. That is the lowest rated channel with their entire primetime slots from monday to thursday already on the cancellation chopping block.
RAW is played in spanish on TELEMUNDO and it is also played on the cable network Mund2 TELEMUNDO is a broadcasting network but it is only a rerun of the RAW the monday before. It plays on saturdays or sundays around 3PM EST(that is when i catch it). Its pretty cool that even though it is in spanish it TELEMUNDO still gives Raw because i haven't seen RAW on mondays ever since august 2007. I always have to catch up with RAW on this site or with the RAW rebound. Hopefully they will air it in HD since the Digital switch was 2 weeks ago and they air in 1080i.
But anyways, SmackDown is the Highest rated show on MyNetworkTV. it is the only show keeping the network afloat. otherwise they are just a pure rerun network.

 

[Deathvalley]

Usually does. When a network feels it's about to go down the crapper, they bring in a show with high ratings and viewers and that keeps the network afloat. Barely.

 

[Alanson]

What i'm wondering is.. how the hell can they tell if the viewers are male or female? Hmm.. they looking in our windows from trees or something, i'm telling you.

 

[Slyfox696]

What i'm wondering is.. how the hell can they tell if the viewers are male or female? Hmm.. they looking in our windows from trees or something, i'm telling you.

It's the Nielsen ratings. Everyone in America with a Nielsen box is in a database, and the box delivers what you're watching to the Nielsen company, and compiles the data into the different categories.

They know who's watching what based upon the information supplied by the household.

 

[klunderbunker]

No.

Wrestling simply is not a sport for the masses. It's always been and always will be a show with a specified niche and that niche can watch it on cable like they always have. The concept of things like SNME was a simple one: 2-3 times a year, you got to see the biggest names on national TV. The problem is, you get that four nights a week now. That's why the last few SNME have bombed so terribly: the mystique is gone. On a national scale, people simple aren't going to watch it because even if it's the greatest card of all time, a lot of people are going to say it sucks because it's wrestling. Like it or not, that's the way it is, and that's not something a major, and I mean ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX, is going to want to associate with on a weekly basis.

 

[Nev]

No.

Wrestling simply is not a sport for the masses. It's always been and always will be a show with a specified niche and that niche can watch it on cable like they always have. The concept of things like SNME was a simple one: 2-3 times a year, you got to see the biggest names on national TV. The problem is, you get that four nights a week now. That's why the last few SNME have bombed so terribly: the mystique is gone. On a national scale, people simple aren't going to watch it because even if it's the greatest card of all time, a lot of people are going to say it sucks because it's wrestling. Like it or not, that's the way it is, and that's not something a major, and I mean ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX, is going to want to associate with on a weekly basis.

Then explain the 80s. If you remember, wrestling was on NBC for a while. Until MJ popped up and NBA got a contract with NBC and nobody was really interested to pick up wrestling with that steroid situation

Wrestling is a bit like the NBA.

If anyone watches the NBA now, it's definitely not as popular as it was back in the 90s.

David Stern is a lot like Vince in a way. Stern markets individual NBA players when he took over in 84 instead of marketing basketball teams as a whole. This caused people to spike interest in watching very talented guys play. Without guys like MJ or Bird/Magic, only loyal basketball fans are watching the NBA now really. (And obviously the playoffs bring casual fans).

Only 3-7 million people watch the regular season NBA games on cable compared to the 10-20 million in the 90s.

Only 10 million people watched the finals this year compared to the 50-70 million people in the 90s. The NBA tried to market Allen Iverson as the next big thing, but never worked. Now it's LeBron, I don't know if that works either.

Anyway where I'm going with this, is that basketball is just like wrestling. Basketball is a boring sport to watch because it's so, well, "normal" and not really anything amazing about it to watch it on TV. But when there's a huge star with a lot of talent in basketball, people tune in. There are only 5 million actual loyal nba fans that will tune in if there are no Kobe's Bryant's playing. God knows I wouldn't watch the NBA if it was all about "team sport and playing to win" instead of watching guys like Dwayne Wade kick ass.

Wrestling is the same way, we have a loyal fan base of about 5 million that will tune in no matter what. Even if there is no Rock or Stone Cold. I wouldn't consider the move to broadcast TV impossible. But Slyfox made a good point, advertising and ad revenues on cable are a lot different than on network TV so it's really pointless for wrestling to come in.