[D.M.N.]

Originally Posted by Rock316AE

RAW was in school year every week, every year. In the same timeslot and with MUCH more teens watching the product than today, when it's close/or at an all-time low. So no, this is not a factor like it wasn't in 18 years of programs, the pattern was always second hour growing with the rare 1-2 times in a few months, it changed since mid 2011 for some odd reason, probably because of the dull concept every week. The third hour pattern is clearly viewers sending a message that they're not going to sit through a filler 3 hour RAW every week. I hope the gap continue to grow and hopefully it goes back to 2 hours before RAW 20 years in January.

But are teens today different to that of 10/15 years ago? Do they go to bed earlier? (I don't know, just throwing it out there)

[Starbuck]

Holy fuck. People basically tuned in at the start and then kept tuning out all the way until the end. I would call the main event an impressive gain and it is indicative of people wanting to see that match I guess but really, all they did was get back everybody who left in all the segments prior lol. To gain 800,000 viewers and still only be at a 3.1 isn't exactly something to celebrate. The third hour is murdering them these days. People just stop watching from around 10 to 10.45 it seems, then debate coming back for the end depending on what it is.

[The GOAT One]

Conclusion: hugging doesn't draw.

[Mister Hands]

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

But are teens today different to that of 10/15 years ago? Do they go to bed earlier? (I don't know, just throwing it out there)

Question from someone completely ignorant about the actual system of gathering ratings: if someone watched the first two hours, then recorded the third, would that count as tuning out? I gotta think it's way more convenient to do that these days than it was 10-15 years ago.

[Starbuck]

Long story short, 3 hours is just too damn long to sit and watch any program continuously no matter what it is. Movies aren't even this long. People just don't have the attention span for it no less in this day and age when most folks can't go 3 minutes without being on their phone, ipad or laptop never mind 3 hours. It's just too long and unless they have an Emmy award winning writing team, they simply won't be able to sustain interest for that period of time and even if they did, I still don't think they'd be able to do it because it's simply just too long.

[JY57]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

Long story short, 3 hours is just too damn long to sit and watch any program continuously no matter what it is. Movies aren't even this long. People just don't have the attention span for it no less in this day and age when most folks can't go 3 minutes without being on their phone, ipad or laptop never mind 3 hours. It's just too long and unless they have an Emmy award winning writing team, they simply won't be able to sustain interest for that period of time and even if they did, I still don't think they'd be able to do it because it's simply just too long.

pretty much this. Sooner or later they have to realize 2 hours is better off for them

[Mister Hands]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

Long story short, 3 hours is just too damn long to sit and watch any program continuously no matter what it is. Movies aren't even this long. People just don't have the attention span for it no less in this day and age when most folks can't go 3 minutes without being on their phone, ipad or laptop never mind 3 hours. It's just too long and unless they have an Emmy award winning writing team, they simply won't be able to sustain interest for that period of time and even if they did, I still don't think they'd be able to do it because it's simply just too long.

It's almost like the Bryan/Kane segments are a microcosm of WWE's TV woes at the moment: they don't know how to deliver consistently good TV, so just deliver more and more product of hugely variable quality, constantly constantly constantly, until people can't take it anymore. They bump Raw up to 3 hours, then there's 2 hours of Smackdown, 1 hour of Superstars, 1 hour of NXT, then Saturday Morning Slam or whatever, and now this WWE Main Event show that's coming out. Holy shit, guys - I barely watch that many hours of TV a week in general, never mind WWE-specific.

[DCY]

Originally Posted by JY57

I am no Bryan fan by any means. but not blaming him, I blame the WWE Universe for voting hug it out and fans at the arena chanting 'hug it out" making Bryan & Kane wanting to give the fans what they want.

I'm not either, and I agree.

[Choke2Death]

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

But are teens today different to that of 10/15 years ago? Do they go to bed earlier? (I don't know, just throwing it out there)

If anything, teens stay up a lot longer nowadays. That's just my take from personal experience, though.

[Warrior]

Less hugging = ratings. They do seem to drag on the hugs now that it's 3 hours. You can't really blame Kane and Daniel Bryan. Also the overrun did really good. Controversies = Ratings.