SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE Smackdown Live drew a 1.86 rating among live and same-night-DVR viewers on USA Network, the same as last week. The same pattern played out with Raw ratings this week and last week. It’s, in fact, the third week in a row Smackdown drew a 1.86 rating.
The 1.86 rating is well above the 1.76 2017 average and 1.75 rolling ten week average headed into this week,and beats the year-ago rating of 1.72. Viewership was 2.662 million.
Keller’s Analysis: Whatever flaws there were in the way the Raw vs. Smackdown rivalry was built up and played out at Survivor Series, it does seem to have drawn some viewers from Raw regulars to also checking out Smackdown. There wasn’t a major hook on Smackdown this week other than seeing the fallout from Survivor Series, which was the losing brand on Sunday, other than Charlotte defending against Natalya. So if WWE sustains this ratings level next week, this is a win for them.
I thought the follow up was really poor. There was nothing to make you want to watch next week. The lazy angle with the women invading was played out the night before. The WWE really needs some new writers and some fresh ideas.