WWE trying to assess the reason behind falling ratings, how are SmackDown and RAW doing?
The ongoing talk in pro wrestling circles has been dominated by the dip in TV ratings for the WWE.
This week was no different as SmackDown saw another steep fall in viewership. The b-show drew 1.652 million viewers – a steep downfall from last week’s figures of 2.229 million.
Being the Thanksgiving Edition, WWE expected the ratings to be on the lower side, but what they got was the lowest it has seen in years. In spite of that, the show was on top of the list on cable for the night.
When it comes to WWE’s top show, RAW stood at #3 in the Neilson Twitter TV ratings for non-sporting events behind Love & Hip-Hop and The Voice. RAW had 1.077 million people commenting about the show on Twitter, which is down from last week’s 1.277 million figure.
The total impression’s stood at 7.593 million, which for a change, was an improvement from last week’s 7.307 million impressions.
WWE are very much concerned about the ongoing slump in ratings and are apparently trying to find out the reason behind it all. They conducted a Fan Council survey, that posed questions to the fans regarding the product and their viewing habits.
They asked the fans as to when they watch the show and during which segment they change the channel. It was basically a survey to assess what the fans are into and what they find redundant.
According to fan feedback, the survey was the most comprehensive one that the WWE has issued to the Fan Council till date. WWE is taking conscious steps to zero in on the reasons behind the drop in ratings and the best way is to get the fans’ perspective into consideration.
At the end of the day, it is Vince McMahon who is calling the shots and unless he shuns the repetitive pattern in WWE’s programming and the temporary fix of getting legends back, nothing is going to change.
Giving fans what they want is what’s best for business and we only hope the survey is the beginning of it.