Source: TNAStars.com
The final cable rating and viewership estimates for this week’s episode of iMPACT Wrestling on Spike TV are now available. The estimates show a modest decrease in the total viewership and a decent increase in the final ratings number compared to last week’s show. This week’s episode of iMPACT Wrestling scored a final cable rating of 1.03 which represented about 1,246,000 viewers over the course of the show’s two hours.
By comparison, this week’s episode had a final cable rating that is 0.04 of a point higher and brought in approximately 73,000 less viewers than last week’s episode, which scored a final cable rating of 0.99 with an average audience of 1,319,000 viewers.
Remember, though, the total viewership for any one episode of iMPACT Wrestling is hard to estimate. On his Twitter account, Eric Bischoff suggests that DVR numbers can add a total of 10% to 12% to the final viewership numbers. Historically, we’ve seen DVR+1 and DVR+3 figures (the amount of people who watch the show on their DVR within one day and three days of recording it) add 200,000 more viewers to the final viewership numbers reported above. Plus, Spike.com uploads each full episode of iMPACT Wrestling to its website for free online streaming for approximately a four month period. The streaming versions of the show on Spike.com typically generate between 5,000 and 20,000 views before they are taken down (some special episodes have many more viewers, others have less). Also, the TNA channel on YouTube posts a large portion of each episode online with no expiration date. These YouTube clips typically bring in between 10,000 and 50,000 viewers. However, as DVR, Spike.com, and YouTube viewers are not included in the television viewership estimates above, these figures are rarely if ever reported by professional wrestling “news” websites. We feel that it is necessary to report this information in order to provide a full definition for the entire spectrum of viewers for each episode.
Interested in learning more about how iMPACT Wrestling’s historical ratings and viewership numbers? If so, then check out TNAStars.com’s Ratings War area. In the Ratings War area you can see a comparison of iMPACT Wrestling vs. Monday Night RAW from the spring of 2010 and iMPACT Wrestling vs. Superstars from all of 2010 and the first part of 2011. Also, you can see the impact on both viewership and ratings on TNA Wrestling’s decision to move the show to an 8pm start time in May 2012. Plus, you can see a comparison of iMPACT Wrestling’s viewership numbers from week-to-week in 2011, 2012, and the beginning of the ratings and viewership tracking information for 2013. Enjoy!