Remember that one time MTV aired one episode of Cutthroat on TV? It ended up just being a promotional tactic, but did it work?
The Challenge: Cutthroat: Episode 1 was watched by 240,000 live viewers and received a 0.08 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It was the 10th highest-rated cable show of the night.
If we’re being honest, this was very close to the ratings for Vets & New Threats episode 1, and Cutthroat ep. 1 did better than most of the recent pre-season promotions. So, MTV probably would have pulled in OK numbers if they aired Cutthroat on the network. But, OK numbers by MTV standards are still abysmal compared to a decade ago, so Paramount was probably smart to snatch up the franchise.
Here are the past five MTV premieres to compare this episode:
Vets & new Threats Episode 1: 243,000 (0.10 rating)
All Stars Rivals Episode 1: 314,000 (0.13 rating)
Battle of the Eras Episode 1: 426,000 viewers (0.19 rating)
Battle for a New Champion Episode 1: 342,000 viewers (0.14 rating)
Ride or Dies Episode 1: 424,000 viewers (0.22 rating)
And since with was technically promo, here are the past three launch specials:
Day Zero Launch Special: 198,000 viewers (0.07 rating)
Battle of the Eras launch special: 249,000 viewers (0.10 rating)
Battle for a New Champion launch special: 173,000 viewers (0.06 rating)
Stop Being Polite 