WWE 'Raw' Sees Ratings Bump, But Will It Make A Difference?

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.'s WWE flagship show, Monday Night Raw, saw this week's episode score a 3.28 cable rating, up a noticeable margin from last week at 3.03 (3.0). In light of the winter storm, WWE canceled their love show and instead hosted the three-hour block of programming from their studio.

Brad Adgate, research director at Horizon Media, felt that if non-live events can improve ratings and revenue, then the company and its over-the-top WWE Network may try more studio-based shows, depending on viewer reactions.

"They have not been able to get the rights fees that live sports (NBA, MLB, etc.) get from the networks so another way is to improve ratings and get higher ad rates," Adgate told Benzinga.

Adgate noted that the Network surpassed the one million subscriber threshold and could increase ad rates by attracting more "young males, which is a difficult audience to reach."

The question of "how will the core audience react" to programming changes remains unanswered at this point, according to Adgate.

WWE recently traded at $11.73, down 6.16 percent after popping 20 percent on Tuesday.