As reported yesterday, SpikeTV has decided to move TNA Impact to Thursdays at 11PM ET, not 9PM ET, starting 4/13. TNA initially reacted to the news negatively since they had their hearts set on a “prime time” slot. However, those in the know at TNA and SpikeTV feel that the show has a better chance of success in the short term and long term with the 11PM ET timeslot.
Spike made the decision largely because “CSI,” set to be Impact’s lead in initially, does not have a similar demographic as Impact and would thus force Impact to draw in its entire audience without any sort of lead in. UFC’s demographic is almost identical to TNA’s demographic and will provide Impact with a strong lead in in addition to the audience TNA brings in. Spike views TNA as a young show which does not have a defined audience and thus feels more comfortable giving the show a good lead in. Spike’s new show, “Pros vs. Joes,” drew a 1.3 rating (higher than any episode of Impact) for its debut episode largely due to the lead in it got from a UFC show. “The Ultimate Fighter” will air before Impact at 10PM ET and is expected to draw a rating between 1.5 and 2.0.
The other silver lining for TNA is that “The Ultimate Fighter” is a reality show that will air for 12 weeks. If Impact performs well at 11PM ET, Spike could move the show up to 10PM ET once “The Ultimate Fighter” ends and even give TNA the second hour they need and have the show run from 10PM ET to midnightET.
Partial Source: The Torch
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