Spike TV to Air Wrestling Franchises Against Each Other
Spike TV is pitting two of wrestling’s biggest franchises up against one another in the ultimate bout for ratings supremacy.
According to an article on HollywoodReporter.com, “The cable network is moving its TNA Impact franchise up against USA's top-rated Monday Night Raw. Starting on March 8, the two-hour Impact will move from Thursdays to air head-to-head against USA's program, most notably echoing the Monday Night Wars of 1995-2001, when WWF's Raw faced WCW's Monday Nitro. The typically taped Impact also will air live telecasts every other week; Raw always airs live.’”
TNA president Dixie Carter spoke in favor of the schedule adjustment, “We feel that's strongly that Monday night is where the majority of wrestling viewers have been historically,” she said. “Having two Monday night wrestling shows with healthy competition between them can make for great TV.”
Carter then added that, “Our goal is not to beat Raw immediately, but we feel confident this will accelerate our growth and make it fun for wrestling fans.”
Yet, the target demographics for Raw and Impact vary in terms of age appropriateness. Raw tends to aim more towards a PG rated audience where as Impact endeavors to reach the TV-14 crowd.
"It's somewhat of a different audience," a WWE spokesperson said. "On Monday nights, we're one of the top cable shows. We're focusing on our new show for Syfy, NXT, and Wrestlemania XXIV."
To prepare for the schedule changes, Spike TV has conducted a pair of Monday night test runs, the most recent one being last month, which featured the debut of the franchise's new host, wrestling icon and fan idol, Hulk Hogan. 2.2 million viewers tuned in, which is considerably higher than TNA's usual 1.6 million average, Yet, 2.2 million viewers just wasn’t enough to pin down Raw, which averages about 5.2 million viewers each week.
Meanwhile, this new schedule shift gives the cable network the chance to connect with sports fans while Monday Night Football is off the grid. Then, once MNF returns, the network could clear out and have Impact go back to Thursday nights.
In conclusion, only time will tell which wrestling franchise will come out the victor in this Spike TV squared circle ratings face-off.