WWE Backlash pulled in a strong audience during its ESPN2 simulcast last Saturday.
According to Brandon Thurston, the first hour of Backlash airing from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on ESPN2 averaged 998,000 viewers alongside a 0.33 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
That number only covers the ESPN2 television broadcast and does not include any viewers who streamed the event live through ESPN Unlimited, where the entire show was also available.
The Backlash pre-show aired from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on ESPN2 as well. Under the older panel-only ratings system, the pre-show pulled 298,000 viewers with a 0.09 rating in the key demo. Under that same older measurement system, the first hour of Backlash itself would have been measured slightly higher at 1.043 million viewers and a 0.37 demo rating. The numbers still came in below this year’s WrestleMania 42 simulcasts. WrestleMania Night 1 drew 1.616 million viewers on ESPN2 while Night 2 brought in 1.822 million viewers on ESPN’s main channel.
Still, Backlash easily outperformed the delayed airing of the Royal Rumble earlier this year, which averaged 417,000 viewers and a 0.09 demo rating during a replay broadcast on ESPN.
Considering Backlash doesn’t carry the same level of hype as WrestleMania, nearly one million viewers for the first live hour on ESPN2 is still a solid showing for WWE.
Do you think WWE’s ESPN partnership is helping grow premium live event audiences and viewership? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
