TNA Ratings News: Impact! Wrestling Sees Viewership Slide

TNA looked to continue its ratings momentum on this past Thursday's edition of Impact! Wrestling, but faced some tough cable television competition.

Unfortunately, the tough competition held back Impact! Wrestling success in that regard.

The Thursday, Aug. 30 edition of Impact! Wrestling saw a drop in viewership (via TV By the Numbers).

Overall on Thursday night, Impact! Wrestling had 1.41 million viewers, down from last week's highest rated live summer program. In the Adults 18-49 category, Impact! posted a 0.5 ratings share and slipped in the Top 50 Cable Television rankings.

My take on the ratings slide:

There could be a few reasons why TNA struggled to continue its ratings momentum on Thursday. First, college football performed well with 4.12 million viewers and earning a 1.8 ratings share in Adults 18-49. Also on Thursday night was the Republican National Convention, which posted some very strong numbers. 

However, Impact! Wrestling was able to hold its own and not slip any further in viewership. Unfortunately, TNA must be ready for some tough television competition once the fall season kicks into gear. This past Thursday night could have been worse, but TNA was able to stand its own ground.

Can TNA stay consistent with viewership?

TNA has been on the lower end throughout the summer in the ratings department. Only recently has it scored better viewership. TNA has the product going forward to succeed in many ways.

What it needs to find is consistency in viewership, as one week Impact! spikes in the ratings, then suddenly drops the following episode. It will be key for TNA to grow its audience and keep viewership at a consistent level.

This may be a challenging issue, but TNA has much more room to grow. 

October to be the biggest month?

With the Bound for Glory pay-per-view arriving, TNA could experience a ratings spike with all the hype surrounding the event. Story lines that were built throughout the year will finally be finished and TNA, with its current product, could see plenty of fan interest. The question remains as to whether Impact! Wrestling will be live at that time.