TNA NEWS: Impact TV ratings are in - heavily-promoted show falls flat during WrestleMania Week

TNA Impact on Thursday, April 11 scored a 0.93 rating, down two-tenths of a rating (20 percent) from last week's 1.11 rating.

It was easily the lowest rating of the year (previous low was a 1.00 flat on February 14), and the lowest rating since the Thanksgiving episode in November.

Impact averaged 1.17 million viewers, down 22 percent from last week's show. It was the fewest viewers of the year and fewest since October 11, 2012 when the show drew 1.12 million viewers against Thursday Night Football.

Impact's overall rating was severely impacted by the first-hour rating. The first hour scored a 0.82 rating, which harkens back to when Impact first changed timeslots in May 2012. Impact then increased to a 1.03 rating in the second hour, which was one of the lowest-rated second hours of the year.

- On cable TV Thursday night, Impact ranked #41 in overall viewers, #29 in males 18-34, and #24 among males 18-49. The top cable TV competition was Knicks-Bulls on TNT, which averaged a pedestrian 2.1 million viewers.

Impact declined one-tenth of a rating in the key male demos and teen male viewers. Impact did not rank among adults 18-34, but was only slightly down from last week in adults 18-49.

- The week of WrestleMania last year, Impact scored a 1.12 rating on Apr. 5, 2012 (up from a 1.05 rating the week before). The week of WrestleMania two years ago, Impact scored a 1.15 rating (down slightly from a 1.19 rating the week before).

Caldwell's Analysis: WrestleMania Week Burnout? Were there technical difficulties somewhere? If there were no external issues, this is not a good performance for a show with two major title matches they actually promoted two weeks out. I continue to argue that (a) the lack of strong babyfaces with convictions and capable of fighting and standing up to the opposition is hurting the show and (b) Aces & Eights is still trying to escape being booked like bumbling henchmen for 7-8 months before TNA tried to flip the switch with Bully Ray at Lockdown. Bottom line, TNA needs to identify who their absolute #1, face-of-the-company John Cena is - not a collection of four of five stars who they think add up to one John Cena - and run with that one person. 

First Hour Break Down

Q1: Impact opened with a dreadful 0.75 rating for the first two falls of the Tag Title match, plus one commercial.

Q2: Impact remained dreadful with a 0.79 rating for the conclusion of Aries & Roode vs. Chavo & Hernandez, one commercial, and the first portion of Joseph Park's in-ring speech.

Q3: Impact increased to a 0.91 rating for the second-half of Park's speech involving Devon, one commercial, and a five-minute Knockouts segment featuring Taryn Terrell.

Q4: Impact dipped to a 0.84 rating for the first of two oddball Gut Check segments, video packages, and two full commercial breaks dragging down the rating.

Second Hour Break Down

Q5: Impact only increased to a 0.96 rating at the top of the second hour, which was the lowest-rated Q5 of the year. The previous low was a 1.14 rating on March 21. The segment featured the latest attempt by Hulk Hogan asking A.J. Styles to make a decision, James Storm interrupting Styles again, Bad Influence in the ring, and the segment concluding with Hogan booking Storm-Styles next week. There was also one commercial.

Q6: Impact increased slightly to a 0.98 rating for Joey Ryan vs. Rob Terry, one commercial, and the Gut Check decision giving Magno the boot.

Q7: Impact passed the 1.00-barrier with a 1.06 rating TNA Title match ring introductions, one commercial, and the first four minutes of Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy.

Q8: Impact increased to a show-high 1.13 rating for the conclusion of Ray-Hardy for the TNA Title, plus one commercial at the start of the quarter-hour, allowing the final 12 minutes of the show to be focused on Ray-Hardy.

Caldwell's Analysis: After studying Impact quarter-hour ratings for several years, I can safely say there is no history of TNA's audience only tuning in for a main event segment to this extent. Sure, the audience will peak for a big, heavily-promoted main event, but not have a significant portion completely tune out the rest of the show and only watch the final 15-30 minutes. Perhaps it was burnout from WrestleMania Week and people only wanted to see the main event or people were only being interested in the Ray-Hardy main event, but TNA needs a big rebound next week.