Once it became clear that TNA iMPACT! was going to survive as a stable weekly program for Spike TV, few within the industry had any doubt that the program would eventually move to Mondays.
The recent Hulk Hogan signing and subsequent January 4 special all but confirmed the Monday move was imminent.
But for Spike TV, which joined TNA Wrestling in issuing a press release for the official move to Monday nights beginning March 8, the specific timing of the move played a part in making the decision.
“With NFL Football off the television schedule and with “TNA iMPACT’s” expanding roster of top wrestling talent, we see this as an opportunity to tap into the millions of wrestling fans on Monday nights,” said Spike TV’s Kevin Kay.
Kay’s comments support what had been speculated in the THR story on the move Sunday night; beyond the bravado of the “Monday Night War” claims lies a business justification–the absence of Monday Night Football opens up a greater young adult male audience and thus gives TNA several months to build an audience in its head-to-head battle with WWE.
What will be interesting is how Spike TV reacts when football season starts late this summer. While moving the program back to Thursdays and away from the joint RAW and NFL competition could potentially make sense from a pure television industry standpoint, it would be treated as devastating by the wrestling industry, even if the move would actually mean a ratings increase for the TNA program. For wrestling insiders, while ratings are undoubtedly king, the symbolism of a scheduling slot also carries weight.
From that perspective, it is thus imperative that TNA build a Monday audience large and loyal enough to justify maintaining the “Monday Night War” once football returns.
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