Before we head into one of the bigger combat sports Saturdays in a while, we welcome you to another edition of the Wrestling Post.
In a bit of bad timing for the WWE, this Sunday its Pay Per View event, Payback in Chicago will now go up against Game 7 for the Chicago Blackhawks as it plays the Los Angeles Kings to see who makes it to the Stanley Cup. The card itself is not that strong and the importance for many Chicago sports fans will be centered around the hockey team.
Also on Sunday will be the Season Finale for Total Divas on E! In its second season, (and renewed for a third) the episode culminates at Wrestlemania and Daniel Bryan’s wedding. This season’s average through 10 episodes is slightly over 1.16 million viewers. It’s likely that it will not surpass its first season of almost 1.3 million viewers per episode. For the second time this season, the episode will run up against its own brand so we might expect a certain segment of fans putting the finale on the DVR.
Regardless of the outcome of the finale, Total Divas has proven to be an asset for the E! network. According to a recent press release, the network credited Total Divas for its 7% increase across key demos.
Via E! press release:
Returning series Total Divas is one key driver of growth, out-delivering year-ago programming across all key demos by impressive triple digit growth up to +135% in Total Viewers (1.0 Million), +103% in Women 18-34 (252,000), and +142% in Adults 18-49 (628,000). Total Divas is pacing as E!’s best sophomore original series in two years (since May 2012) and is the network’s second-most watched original program after Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Total Divas also ranks as a Top 5 ad-supported cable show on Sundays 9pm to 10pm in Women 18-34 (#3) and Adults 18-34 (#5).
Payout Take: Despite what you may think about the reality show, it has become valuable to the E! network. Even though there has been a slight decrease in viewership this season, it is doing well with key demos. In its first season, it was positioned to succeed with a prime spot after its top series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. This season has gone without Kim and Chloe as a lead-in but still has produced on one of the busiest nights on television.
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