Pot-kettle-black.
What amuses me about this is that you're basing Raw's success on their average rating and bashing TNA's based on their previous all time high. TNA didn't average 1.3, it was their highest rating. TNA's average is usually the 1.0-1.1 region so a 1.5 would be .5/.4 rise from the average. But screw averages and screw all time highs. The previous episode of RAW with Timbaland drew the same numbers as Bret Hart, so think about that for a moment; WWE could have brought in Lady Gaga and they'd have probably scored the same. The previous epsiode of impact (not the Knockouts special) drew a 0.99 so Hogan upped the rating between those two episodes by .51, Bret Hart kept the rating for Raw at the exact same place it was it didn't go up it didn't go down, what that says to me is that RAW didn't change anything about themselves. TNA's rating pulled more viewers than they've ever had and if you go by the 1/4hr breakdowns they had an influx of viewers for the AJ vs. Angle match, that to me says a a portion of the people who switched over to see Bret weren't that impressed and came back to Impact.
Since when have I praised RAW's ratings or claimed anything about RAW doing good numbers with Hart? For me to be a hypocrit, as you implied, I would've had to be doing so and I ask you to find where I've ever claimed RAW's rating was a big increase, a huge number, or something to get excited over. You clearly missed my point entirely, which was Sidious praising and excited over a 1.5 as if it's a huge number and a huge accomplishment, while downplaying RAW's ratings which by no means were terrible.
So yeah, it isn't really putting a spin on the situation when a company who averages a 1.0 jumps half a point in the ratings on a single night, that's big news. What isn't big news but sad news is a much larger company with name value and a ton of advertising giving fans what could've been an industry defining moment and finding that they'd have gotten the same rating with an RnB producer being the guest host.
In fact, you're STILL putting a PR spin on it with your final comment. The overall rating is an average of the entire show, it's the meat within the overall that really shows the insight into how well either company did. RAW didn't do the same rating as with Timbaland at all. They did a 3.5 the first hour and a 3.7 the second hour, and they had the highest number of viewers for RAW since sometime last August. Obviously Timbaland wasn't a guest host last August, was he? So no, clearly by the rating break down and the fact they did their highest numbers in FIVE months they didn't get the same rating.
When TNA Impact went head to head with RAW, and those are the only numbers that matters for this point because of the TNA fans who are saying Impact took away viewers from RAW and somehow gained anything at all.. the 2nd hour of Impact they started off quite well going in, but then by the end of the hour they lost any new audience they could've possibly gained and ended up with a 1.16. That number fluxuated but remained rather consistent for the final hour and Impact ended with 1.3 rating in their main event. You know what that is? Yes, that's their former best number and an audience that's already been there.
RAW's final hour was an averaged 3.7 compared to Impact's final hour which averaged a 1.2. So if you want to talk about growth in the audience and proper insight into the ratings they ended up with, and if you certainly want to compare the two companies head to head and talk about TNA taking viewers from RAW.. there you go. And as you can see, the second two hours of Impact they didn't take any audience from WWE, their numbers were consistent as ever. All that happened was their previous, loyal TNA fans chose TNA instead of watching WWE RAW. No big insight there!
I’m not praising RAW’s ratings at all, but that IS the reality. Timbaland didn’t do the same numbers as Hart at all, the audience not only stuck around but actually grew for the final Hart/McMahon confrontation. Just saying!
So let me get this straight.
First of all, Impact has not been pulling in 1.3's as of late. It has been scaled back to 1.0's and even dipped below that once or twice. But it has been a 1.0 average. And that is even running un-opposed without competition from WWE.
And then they actually run AGAINST the WWE while the WWE (the unquestionable leader and more established company) is on the air at the same time, and they still manage to increase their rating from a 1.0 to a 1.5 WHILE RUNNING AGAINST RAW, and in the process scoring their highest rating ever, and you don't think that is impressive?
We heard all the WWE Universe fans say that Impact going on against Raw was a terrible idea because the fans that tune in to see Impact were going to watch Raw instead and blah, blah, blah. But, if that were the case, then Impact's rating should have been like a .5 then, shouldn't it, since all the Impact viewers would have bolted for Raw? That really wasn't the case. Rather, TNA stole away viewers from Raw.
So yeah, I think it was quite an accomplishment for TNA, and it's no wonder that everyone in TNA along with SpikeTV are quite happy with the rating. Because they can analyze the reality of the situation with what exactly happened, and see the potential to happen down the road, as opposed to looking at it from the simple perspective that "we ran against WWE and lost". Nobody expected TNA to win on Monday because they still have a problem with their image and awareness level amongst wrestling fans taking them seriously. Their goal Monday was to help change that image and I think they made remarkable progress.
So, yeah.
See my above response to Reddannihilation for your answer.
So, as you can see by the numbers, you’re still doing a PR spin. Unopposed to RAW, yes, TNA did great numbers for one night but going head to head with RAW they lost all their audience except for what they’ve been averaging for years now. Sure they had dropped numbers to 1.0s recently, but they only got those fans that had previously stopped watching back over the course of the final two hours of RAW. RAW didn’t lose any audience from previous weeks, they in fact had a larger number by the end of their show, which is clear proof that TNA did NOT take viewers away from them as you claim with your “Rather, TNA stole away viewers from Raw”.
Sorry!
Now if TNA can get even the slightest audience that came for the first hour and to share some memories with Hogan, but left because of the product afterwards, back to try the product out again this Thursday or in the weeks to come, then they may accomplish something. They just have to work to do what they weren’t able to this past Monday and KEEP the audience.
