TNA Watched more than WWE in the UK?

[Impeccable]

Dixie Carter on Impact said that TNA is more watched than the "competition" in the UK...does she mean WWE? Can anyone verify this?

[Impeccable]

This probably belongs in questions...sorry mods.

[Outsider]

I don't know, but my guess would be that more people have Bravo than Sky Sports, making it possible.

Would be far more to do with the cost of watching than the product itself though.

[DaVe]

NOTE: In regard to the ratings in the United Kingdom, according to various wrestling Web sites, for the week of Aug. 2-8, Impact had 67,000 viewers, Raw had 50,000 and Smackdown had 48,000. A replay of Raw later in the week had 29,000, and a replay of Smackdown had 44,000.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2009/08/qa_with_dixie_carter.html#more

That occurred for that week only, as far as I know. Other than that week Raw has been higher.

[NoRoolz]

I asked the same question in the TNA thread.

http://www.tpww.net/forums/showthread.php?t=93789&page=3

Scroll down and check out Youell's answer :y:

[Impeccable]

Cheers lads!

Really enjoying TNA at the moment. I have been one of TNA's biggest haters, but I just get the feeling that it's going to boom!

[NoRoolz]

:y:

TNA is nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be. It's as enjoyable/if not more enjoyable than WWE in like 75% of all things considered.

[FourFifty]

If I wanted to see Kevin Nash, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett or Team 3D I'd rather just go to The Vault and hope for the best.

[NoRoolz]

TNA's not just about them though, at all.

[kareru]

yes she did mean the wwe

and in general sky sports get way higher ratings than bravo

[311]

Coming from someone who lives in the UK:

There is a reason for this. TNA is on free television, while WWE is on Sky Sports, which is premium. You have to pay about 50 pounds (Around 80 dollars probably) a month to just get the channel/correct sports package that RAW is on. It's not like in the US where if you get basic cable you get ESPN...you have to pay extra on TOP of what you pay for "normal cable" to get a sports package.

Edit: Also, TNA plays twice a day, sometimes more in a row on the channel it's on...I can't remember which, but I think it's UK's version of Bravo. I think you can get Smackdown on free television, but I have no idea when it's on...I've never caught it, I always watch online.

[Londoner]

311 is right.

[Dave Youell]

Coming from someone who lives in the UK:

There is a reason for this. TNA is on free television, while WWE is on Sky Sports, which is premium. You have to pay about 50 pounds (Around 80 dollars probably) a month to just get the channel/correct sports package that RAW is on. It's not like in the US where if you get basic cable you get ESPN...you have to pay extra on TOP of what you pay for "normal cable" to get a sports package.

Edit: Also, TNA plays twice a day, sometimes more in a row on the channel it's on...I can't remember which, but I think it's UK's version of Bravo. I think you can get Smackdown on free television, but I have no idea when it's on...I've never caught it, I always watch online.

That's not strictly true is it?

Bravo isn't a free channel. It's a channel which you have to pay to recieve as a bundle and not just on the basic one either.

E.g I have to pay an extra £5.50 per month to recieve Bravo (and other channels like Sky one for instance) now if I wanted to have Sports, I could get it for £19 extra per month, so not £50 a month, £50 a month is everything with movies etc and probably Sky + as well. So yes it is cheaper to watch TNA than WWE, but it's certainly not free.

Also, it's not shown twice in a row. Impact is debuted each week on Saturday nights, there's then a repeat later in the week, they show older episodes on Bravo 2 throughout the week, but that's not taken into consideration for theser ratings.

WWE programming gets loads more replays. Raw gets:

Monday: 2am
Thursday: 9pm
Friday: 5pm
Monday: 5pm (repeat)

--

The only WWE tv on the lower banded package is on Sky One for the WWE Experience, never catch it though.

--

So yes, it costs more to watch WWE than TNA, but if TNA were totally free, it would get even better viewing figures.

Which may happen as Sky are trying to buy the Virgin TV channels which include Bravo, and there's no way TNA and WWE will be on the same network

[Outsider]

If a freeview channel were to pick-up TNA, it would get pretty impressive figures.

But I can't think of a freeview channel that it would fit on?

Maybe Dave? I know they want more 'original programming' and it's a show that would appeal to a similar audience to their own (younger blokes, but it's hardly a perfect fit.

[Dave Youell]

If a freeview channel were to pick-up TNA, it would get pretty impressive figures.

But I can't think of a freeview channel that it would fit on?

Maybe Dave? I know they want more 'original programming' and it's a show that would appeal to a similar audience to their own (younger blokes, but it's hardly a perfect fit.

:y:

I think Dave would be the best channel for it, perhaps ITV2? They have a lot of USA shows on that. But it’s all speculation, the Sky/Virgin deal may not go through, but I know it’s been on the cards for 2 months now.

[Outsider]

:y:

I think Dave would be the best channel for it, perhaps ITV2? They have a lot of USA shows on that. But it’s all speculation, the Sky/Virgin deal may not go through, but I know it’s been on the cards for 2 months now.

ITV2 would be a good one actually. Would be able to plug it on ITV which would increase coverage as well. I would suspect that if ITV picked it up it would end up on a small channel, either ITV3 or 4.

Channel 4 have shown wrestling previously, and it wouldn't be completely out of place on E4. There is probably space within their schedule (although it would mean less repeats of Friends).

Wouldn't be entirely out of place on BBC3 either in my mind.

I think the last two are pretty unlikely, but would be massive for TNA in the UK.

[Dave Youell]

ITV2 would be a good one actually. Would be able to plug it on ITV which would increase coverage as well. I would suspect that if ITV picked it up it would end up on a small channel, either ITV3 or 4.

Channel 4 have shown wrestling previously, and it wouldn't be completely out of place on E4. There is probably space within their schedule (although it would mean less repeats of Friends).

Wouldn't be entirely out of place on BBC3 either in my mind.

I think the last two are pretty unlikely, but would be massive for TNA in the UK.

Thinking about this, Channel 5 should be the one really. They have NOTHING else on, and the stuff they do have is all over the shop so there’s no consistency with the programming, so it they would just use it as a ratings booster.

C4 wouldn’t go back IMO because of all the complaints they used to get with it, even with the PPV’s at 2am

If you had said BBC to me a few years back, I would of said no way, but BBC3 showing Family is a big step for them, and I don’t see anything worse on TNA than Family Guy in terms of taste and indecency. But you know regardless some people will complain about it.

Basically, it’s a show that you can say draws in x amount of people on a Pay to see channel, shouldn’t take any production folk long to figure out if it’s something that they could make money out of on their network.

[Outsider]

Thinking about this, Channel 5 should be the one really. They have NOTHING else on, and the stuff they do have is all over the shop so there’s no consistency with the programming, so it they would just use it as a ratings booster.

C4 wouldn’t go back IMO because of all the complaints they used to get with it, even with the PPV’s at 2am

If you had said BBC to me a few years back, I would of said no way, but BBC3 showing Family is a big step for them, and I don’t see anything worse on TNA than Family Guy in terms of taste and indecency. But you know regardless some people will complain about it.

Basically, it’s a show that you can say draws in x amount of people on a Pay to see channel, shouldn’t take any production folk long to figure out if it’s something that they could make money out of on their network.

Channel 5 has form on this as well, they showed the dire WCW Worldwide. I'd hope it wouldn't be 5 just simply on the grounds no-one watches it. If TNA could get a good channel that pushed it a little, big rathings could be made.

I had no idea that Channel 4 got complaints about the wrestling they showed though. They too show some pretty risque stuff now. Some of the stand-up frequently shown on a Saturday for example.

Even if BBC3 were to pick it up, I can't see them giving it a good timeslot. They have some fairly big programmes on there that can probably bring in more views than TNA, particuarly when showing something like Heroes or Spooks a week in advance, or then 10pm Eastenders repeat. They have something good most nights between 9 and 11, meaning it would have to be later than 11, when a lot of potential viewers would be in bed.

[Cool King]

I was thinking of Five also. Though if Five did get TNA, I think it would be shown on Five USA as it is from the USA afterall.

Though Dave does sound like a possible channel too.

[Dave Youell]

Here's this weeks ratings. Interestingly, Smackdown blows everything else out of the water, officially making UK fans the smartest fans in the world.

Good job people!

Andrew Pritchard sent this in:

For the Week Aug 17-Aug 23

Impact scored with 45,000 Viewers

WWE Raw Live scored 32,000 Viewers

The Replay of Raw scored 50,000 viewers

SmackDown was the highest rated wrestling program scoring 85,000 viewers

And ECW scored under 32,000 viewers

[Indifferent Clox]

Is it just me or does this thread have a weird accent?

[Dave Youell]

Cor blimey governor, what ever do you mean?

[NoRoolz]

Here's this weeks ratings. Interestingly, Smackdown blows everything else out of the water, officially making UK fans the smartest fans in the world.

Good job people!

Andrew Pritchard sent this in:

For the Week Aug 17-Aug 23

Impact scored with 45,000 Viewers

WWE Raw Live scored 32,000 Viewers

The Replay of Raw scored 50,000 viewers

SmackDown was the highest rated wrestling program scoring 85,000 viewers

And ECW scored under 32,000 viewers

Do these figures include if I record the shows on Sky+. Because I have all on series link, and it automatically records both live RAW, and the replay on Thursday. If I cancel the Thursday recordings, the whole series link disappears.

[Londoner]

Is it just me or does this thread have a weird accent?

Yea, its just you. Your accent is weird.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

Do these figures include if I record the shows on Sky+. Because I have all on series link, and it automatically records both live RAW, and the replay on Thursday. If I cancel the Thursday recordings, the whole series link disappears.

I believe they're inflated figures from people who have BARB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasters%27_Audience_Research_Board) boxes, so unless you have one, no matter which show you watch, or how you watch it, it won't individually register.

[NoRoolz]

Ah reet.. cheers :y:

[kareru]

I believe they're inflated figures from people who have BARB (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadcasters%27_Audience_Research_Board) boxes, so unless you have one, no matter which show you watch, or how you watch it, it won't individually register.

this is true, although sky does collect ratings information whenever the 'phone home' at night, sky does not release the figures to the public or any other company for that matter