The latest edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown has seen a slump in the TV ratings. It turns out it is the second-lowest audience on FOX.
WWE Smackdown TV ratings decreases.
Nielsen, via Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, said that the latest edition of SmackDown garnered an average of 1.861 million viewers on FOX. It is noted that the final number is up 4.43% from the overnight viewership that was released on Saturday morning, which was an average of 1.782 million viewers.
This number seems to have decreased by 5.58% from last week’s final SmackDown viewership of 1.971 million viewers for the post-Hell In a Cell show. Last week’s SmackDown drew a 0.46 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is down 14.81% from last week’s 0.54 rating. That 0.46 rating represents 597,000 viewers in the 18-49 key demographic.
Latest episode of SmackDown had some major segments and matches that were advertised prior. It featured a follow-up to WWE Hall of Famer Edge’s return, and a Falls Count Anywhere match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Zelina Vega also surprisingly returned which was not announced before.
However, it leaked out online shortly before showtime. Moreover, it was also shocking that WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns did not appear on this show.
WWE SmackDown ratings record the lowest of the year
As turns out, last Friday’s viewership was the lowest of the year, and the second-lowest since SmackDown switched to FOX. Friday’s key demo rating was the second-lowest of the year, and the third-lowest on FOX. The viewership was down 5.58% from last week, while the key demo rating was down 14.81% from last week.
It has been reported that the viewership for Friday’s SmackDown episode was up 4.73% from the same week in 2020, while Friday’s 18-49 key demo rating was up 15% from the same week in 2020. But, that episode had aired on Friday, July 3, the night before the Independence Day holiday.
We will see how WWE manages to increase the ratings. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will certainly try to improve the ratings. It is to be noted that the company is set to resume tours and will have the crowd back in attendance from the July 16 edition of Friday Night SmackDown.
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