WWE Smackdown viewership declines, still finishes tied or head of other programs on Friday in the key 18-49 demo, but viewership below year-ago number

WWE Smackdown drew 2.309 million viewers, down from 2.610 million viewers the prior week and the lowest viewership to date on Fox broadcast network. The first hour drew 2.445 million viewers and the second hour produced 2.255 million viewers, so a significant erosion of viewers as the show progressed toward the Miz TV segment with Daniel Bryan.

One year ago, Smackdown drew 2.312 million viewers, so 3,000 more than this week.

Among the key 18-49 demographic, Smackdown drew a 0.7 rating, good for a tie with CBS’s “Hawaii Five-O” in the first hour (which drew more than triple the total viewers, but most of them were much older). ABC’s “American Housewife” came close to Smackdown with a 0.6 demo rating. NBC’s “The Blacklist” wasn’t far behind at 0.5 in that demo. Both of those shows also drew significantly more viewers than Smackdown on Fox (3.34 and 3.98 million, respectively). No show opposite the second hour of Smackdown finished with a 0.7 or higher, as CBS’s “Magnum P.I.” and NBC’s “Dateline” drew 0.6 rating in that key demo.

Smackdown drew it’s lowest 18-34 male demo to date on Fox with a 0.51, below the 0.85 and 0.74 of the prior two weeks. That’s a big percentage loss of younger male viewers, although the Oct. 18 episode on Fox drew a 0.58 rating, so it could bounce back next week. If it doesn’t, that’s a concern going forward.

CATCH UP… AEW Dynamite reestablishes big lead over NXT on USA in viewership and all key demos, lands in top five in cable demo ranking