The OtherArena

[Frank_Jewett]

ECW drew a 1.9 rating on August 29th, well below the 2.3 +/- 0.1 rating the show had drawn during most of its run. The good news is that Sci-Fi announced plans to extend ECW's run through the end of 2007. The bad news? Well, maybe there isn't any bad news, but let's consider possible reasons for the ratings drop.

1) Insignificant one time drop

A 0.4 one week drop for a show that has shown very consistent viewership is too significant to dismiss as a freak occurance.

2) Non-recurring calendar conflict - the dreaded "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" effect

Tuesday doesn't appear to be a significant date. Perhaps Wednesday was the first day of school in some districts (elementary school started here on the 22nd), but if ECW lost viewers to school night curfews then they will likely lose many of them next week as well.

3) Seasonal decline in interest - the "Summertime Blues" effect

WWE ratings have typically declined during the summer for a variety of reasons. Summer schedules allow kids to stay out late rather than staying in and watching TV, families go on vacation, and interest tends to rise during the buildup to Wrestlemania and wane as the fallout from Wrestlemania wraps up. ECW ratings have been surprisingly constant until this week, so if the "Summertime Blues" were dampening ratings, they were probably doing so throughout the whole ECW on Sci-Fi run. ECW also doesn't have to worry about losing viewers to Monday Night Football, so they really shouldn't suffer the same seasonal dropoff we saw with Monday Night RAW over several years.

4) Bad Booking

The main event was Sabu vs Paul Heyman, so it's entirely possible that fans changed the channel rather than standing up and turning their backs to their televisions in protest. Of course it's also possible that hotshot booking drove ratings in previous episodes and Sabu vs Heyman was considered a "normal" main event by comparison. Next week Big Show is supposed to wrestle Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a handicap match, so we won't have to wait long to test out the theory that ECW on Sci-Fi needs a "hotshot" main event to draw ratings in the 2.3 range. If ratings stay within 0.1 of this week's 1.9, it will suggest a longer term ratings shift.

5) Indifference - the "Thrill is Gone" effect

It's possible that some of ECW's 2.3 average rating was due to the newness of the show. ECW hasn't lost ratings as quickly as the XFL, but every show eventually runs into the challenge of drawing viewers once the freshness and excitement have worn off. Ratings for "The Ultimate Fighter" dropped from 1.6 in season 1 to 1.4 in season 2. TUF drew a 1.7 rating in season 3, so it is certainly possible to build ratings after the novelty has worn off.

We'll see what happens with the hotshot main event next Tuesday.

Frank

[sideswipe70]

Another possibility is that with Raw not airing at its regular time on USA, they lost some of the viewers who are drawn by the cross-promotion on Raw. I don't know if I think that's a possibility, but I'm willing to play a wait and see game until next week's ratings come in.

Or, nobody cares about a main event of Sabu vs. Paul Heyman. That strikes me as most likely.

Jason

[kjh]

The ECW rating only rebounded slightly to a 2.1, still below the show's average, despite supposedly having the biggest match ever on ECW television. I'm sure DX won't get any of the blame for this disappointing rating, but it probably indicates that their act has gotten stale, just like the new ECW has.

[Frank_Jewett]

I believe the RVD/Sabu tag match drew a 1.8 during the first quarter hour. Test and Knox made RVD look small and made Sabu look tiny. I suspect WWE creative had that visual in mind all along.

Frank

[Frank_Jewett]

Dave Meltzer reported that ECW drew a 1.9, so the blip from a couple of weeks ago is looking more like a shift to 2.0 +/- 0.1.

Frank

[eron]

[Frank_Jewett]

Bad news on the doorstep. Dave Meltzer reported that ECW drew a 1.6 rating this week.

[Kevin Tyler]

[Frank_Jewett]

I like "Dog", but it's still a comedown to go from (allegedly) threatening a network icon of thirty years to being threatened by an indy show in its third year.

Beth's fashion choices have that certain Rikishi "car wreck" fascination which the director seems to understand because he frequently pans up from her feet.

Frank

[jdw]

[Kevin Tyler]

[Frank_Jewett]

Beth's "freakshow" boobs are a riot, but she goes the whole nine yards from her gaudy shoes to her heavy makeup and ratted hair. Beth is the total package of fashion "don't."

Dog better not catch you staring at "baby" Lisa. I agree real women (Lisa looks more like a teenage girl) are far more attractive than the plastic WWE Divas and their saline hooters.

Frank

[Iron Chad]

Did they ever address at Dog's wedding episode earlier this year that Hulk Hogan showed up for the nuptials because he thought it was DDP getting remarried?

-Chad

[Frank_Jewett]

ECW on Sci-Fi drew a 1.7 rating this week, so apparently most of the fans who switched over to watch "Dog: The Bounty Hunter" never came back.

The overall trend is not good. ECW has lost roughly 25% of its audience since school started and since they stopped hotshotting ECW title matches.

The embarrassing hype and dismal failure of strip poker is reminiscent of the embarrassing hype and dismal failure of the XFL's "locker room cam."

Frank

[DavidInNYC]