SmackDown Suffers Ratings Dip Against MLB, WNBA Finals, and College Football
Summary
– WWE SmackDown averaged 1.378 million viewers, a 16.6% drop from the previous week.
– The 0.42 rating in the 18-49 demo marks a 14.3% decrease, the lowest since the show returned to the USA Network.
– SmackDown faced strong competition from MLB playoffs, the WNBA Finals, and college football.
Friday night’s WWE SmackDown on the USA Network drew 1.378 million viewers, down 16.6% from the previous week. This is the lowest audience since the show’s recent return to the network and the weakest overall since a ‘best of’ episode aired on December 29th last year.
In the key 18-49 demographic, SmackDown averaged a 0.42 rating, a decline of 14.3% from the prior week. This rating is the lowest since the move back to the USA, and aside from last year’s ‘best of’ broadcast, it’s the lowest for a live episode since November 24th, when the show aired on FS1.
The decline can be attributed to fierce competition. SmackDown aired directly against MLB’s Divisional Championship coverage on TBS and FS1, Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on ESPN, and a lineup of college football games on FOX.
Compared to the same week in 2023, when SmackDown aired on FOX, the overall viewership dropped by 38.8%, while the 18-49 rating decreased by 28.8%.
