Message #9696

[nightrain]

TNA WRESTLING are on course to treble their ratings in Britain thanks to the arrival of Hulk Hogan — declaring the UK as the key battleground in their war with WWE.

The number of people watching flagship show Impact, broadcast every Saturday night at 9pm on Bravo and 10pm on Bravo+1, has jumped hugely since January.

That period has coincided with the addition of Hogan to the roster, along with other big-name newcomers Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam and Eric Bischoff.

Dixie Carter's company today announced the average viewership of Impact in the first 11 weeks of 2010 was 133,000.

Two recent shows reached record highs of 152,000 and 153,000 — almost three times the average number of viewers in 2009 of 56,000.

Carter said: "TNA have remained committed to the United Kingdom's wrestling fans far past our annual Maximum Impact tours — and it is beginning to show.

"The UK is ground zero in the battle to make a change for wrestling fans across the globe."

Ronan Hand, acquisitions manager for Virgin Media, who own Bravo, added: "We are very pleased with how TNA are doing and are grateful for all the work they do in bringing their exciting show to these shores, just reward for the burgeoning UK fan base."

According to the Broadcaster's Audience Research Board, the figures mean TNA Impact beats the first run rating of rival shows WWE Raw and Smackdown.

The comparison, however, is not entirely fair as the WWE shows are broadcast on the Sky Sports subscription channels in the UK and are repeated through the week where they add viewers.

But the news comes as a welcome lift for TNA, after Impact ratings suffered a big knock in the US by going head-to-head against a WWE Raw featuring Shawn Michaels' retirement.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/2917013/TNA-Wrestling-ratings-Hulk-up-in-the-UK-Impact-on-Bravo-gets-huge-boost.html#ixzz0js1LU1KN