Tag: Smackdown ratings

WWE Smackdown ratings experience dip with move to Syfy

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Image: WWE

Last Friday’s WWE SmackDown averaged 1.042 million viewers on Syfy, down 28.6% from the previous week when airing on USA.

It’s the lowest reported viewership for the show since January 23, prior to when Nielsen adjusted their methodology for determining ratings via the Big Data + Panel reporting method.

SmackDown finished third on the cable charts with a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demo, down 22.9% from the prior week which was the lowest rating in that category since the January 23 episode.

In addition to being moved from their regular network, the show went head-to-head with coverage of the Winter Olympics on NBC, USA and Peacock as well as the ESPN coverage of NBA All-Star weekend.

As compared to the same week in 2025 while airing on USA, overall viewership was down 26.7% while the 18-49 rating was down 39.5%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE Smackdown as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 7.2% in overall viewers but even in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

Date18-49Total viewers
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
1/2/20260.281,175,000
1/9/20260.26990,000
1/16/20260.21968,000
1/23/20260.22943,000
1/30/20260.291,260,000
2/6/20260.351,459,000
2/13/20260.261,042,000
10-week average (through 2/6)0.261,123,100

WWE SmackDown ratings increase despite Olympics competition

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.459 million viewers on USA Network, up 15.8 percent from the previous week. This is the largest audience total reported for the show since September 5 of last year.

In the 18-49 demo, SmackDown drew a 0.35 rating. That’s up 20.7 percent from the prior week and ties the best rating the show has done in that category since September 19. The increases came despite the fact that SmackDown aired head-to-head with NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, which had aired live earlier in the day on Peacock. The Olympics will cause SmackDown to move to Syfy both this week and next week due to USA Network’s coverage.

As compared to the same week in 2025, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 3.2 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 27.1 percent

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE Smackdown on the USA Network, as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 24.5 percent in overall viewers and 40 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

Note: Beginning the week of January 26, Nielsen once again modified its ratings reporting method which has resulted in marked increases for all televised wrestling shows on cable since then.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
1/2/20260.281,175,000
1/9/20260.26990,000
1/16/20260.21968,000
1/23/20260.22943,000
1/30/20260.291,260,000
2/6/20260.351,459,000
10 week average0.251,091,400

WWE SmackDown viewership gets major jump after latest Nielsen changes

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Image: WWE

Last Friday’s WWE SmackDown averaged 1.26 million viewers on USA, up 34% from the previous week and the highest reported audience for the show since September 19, 2025.

However, it’s important to note that effective January 26, Nielsen once again changed the way they are measuring viewership with the Big Data+Panel system and audience totals for all wrestling shows have seen a marked increase since then.

The Royal Rumble go-home edition of the show, SmackDown topped the cable charts with a 0.29 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 32% from last week’s reported number and tying the highest rating the show has done in that category since September 26, 2025.

As compared to the same week in 2025 when Nielsen was using the Panel only measurement system, overall viewership was down 20.2% while the 18-49 rating was down 43.1%.

Recent WWE SmackDown ratings & viewership

The following are the last 11 weeks of overall SmackDown viewership and 18-49 demo ratings as well as the 10-week average in both categories.

Date18-49Total viewers
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
1/2/20260.281,175,000
1/9/20260.26990,000
1/16/20260.21968,000
1/23/20260.22943,000
1/29/20260.291,260,000
10-week average (through 1/23)0.251,086,400

WWE SmackDown viewership under one million viewers for third straight week

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Image: WWE

Last Friday’s WWE SmackDown on USA averaged 943,000 viewers, down 2.6% from the previous week and the lowest audience for the show since Halloween of last year.

It’s also the third straight week the show has done under one million viewers which has never happened since the show’s inception.

The Friday, January 23 show averaged a 0.22 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 4.5% from the prior week but tying the third lowest rating the show has done since the Halloween episode. The episode topped the night’s cable charts in the key demo.

There was also more sports competition than usual. An NHL game aired head-to-head on ESPN and finished second on the cable charts with a 0.21 18-49 rating while college basketball on Fox also aired head-to-head and topped all television with a 0.37 average 18-49 rating.

As compared to the same week in 2025 when Nielsen was still using its previous reporting method, overall viewership was down 35.2% while the 18-49 rating was down 50%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE SmackDown on USA as well as the 10-week average in both categories.

Of note this week’s show was down 14.9% in overall viewers and 15.4% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

Date18-49Total viewers
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
1/2/20260.281,175,000
1/9/20260.26990,000
1/16/20260.21968,000
1/23/20260.22943,000
10-week average0.261,107,900

WWE SmackDown below one million viewers for second straight week

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Last Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 968,000 viewers on the USA Network, down 2.2% from the previous week. It’s the second lowest audience the show has done since moving back to the network in 2024.

SmackDown averaged a 0.21 rating in the 18-49 demo. The show finished second on the cable charts, trailing an NBA game on ESPN that averaged a 0.35 rating. They were also head to head with a college basketball game on FOX that averaged a 0.72 rating.

They were down 19.2% from the prior week and it was the lowest rating for the show in that category since Halloween night last year.

As compared to the same week in 2025, when Nielsen was still using their previous ratings reporting method, the overall viewership was down 31% while the 18-49 rating was down 50%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE SmackDown on the USA Network as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’ s show was down 14% in overall viewers and 19.2% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

Date18-49Total viewers
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
1/2/20260.281,175,000
1/9/20260.26990,000
1/16/20260.21968,000
10 week average0.261,125,200

WWE SmackDown drops below one million viewers

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown averaged 990,000 viewers on USA Network, down 15.7 percent from the prior week. This marks the lowest audience total for the show since Halloween night 2025.

The episode took place from Berlin, Germany and aired live on Netflix outside of the United States prior to the USA Network airing. It was headlined by a big title change with Drew McIntyre defeating Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match to become the new WWE Champion.

In the 18-49 demo, the USA Network broadcast drew a 0.26 rating. That’s down 7.1 percent from the previous week and is the third-highest number the show has done in that category since November 28.

SmackDown went head-to-head with a College Football Playoff game on ESPN that topped all of television with a 3.86 rating in 18-49 and drew more than 17 million viewers. SmackDown was second on TV in the key demo during a night where the main English-language broadcast networks combined for less than nine million viewers overall.

As compared to the same week in 2025, when Nielsen was still using its old panel-only measurement system, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 31.1 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 35 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 11.6 percent in viewers but steady in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
1/2/20260.281,175,000
1/9/20260.26990,000
10-week average0.261,119,500

WWE SmackDown ratings up for move to three hours

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.175 million viewers on USA Network, up 3.3 percent from the previous week. It’s the second-largest audience total for the show since November 21.

This was the first SmackDown episode of 2026 and marked the return to a three-hour format. The show drew a 0.28 rating in the 18-49 demo, which is up 3.7 percent from the prior week and ties the best rating SmackDown has done in that category since the November 21 edition.

As compared to the same week in 2025, (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 23.1 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 37.8 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s episode was up 5.2 percent in viewers and 7.7 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
12/2/20260.281,175,000
10-week average0.261,116,700

WWE SmackDown ratings up for final show of 2025

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 1.138 million viewers on the USA Network, up 14.4% from the previous week. It was, however, the third lowest audience for the show since Halloween Night.

SmackDown averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demo, which topped all television on the night. That’s up 28.6% from the prior week and ties the third highest rating the show has done in that category since October 24th.

As compared to the same week in 2024, when Nielsen still used it’s previous ratings measurement system, the overall viewership was down 20.8% while the 18-49 rating was down 34.2%.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of overall viewership and 18-49 demo ratings for WWE SmackDown on the USA Network as well as the 10 week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 1.5% in overall viewers and 3.8% in 18-49 as compared to recent averages.

Date18-49Total viewers
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
12/26/20250.271,138,000
10 week average0.261,121,100

WWE SmackDown drops below one million viewers for pre-taped episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 19 pre-taped edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 995,000 viewers on USA Network, down 19.8 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total for the show since Halloween night.

In the 18-49 demo, SmackDown drew a 0.21 rating. That’s down 19.2 percent from the prior week and is also the lowest rating SmackDown has done since the Halloween night episode.

The show went head-to-head with a College Football Playoff game that combined for nearly 15 million viewers between ABC & ESPN and drew a 3.15 rating in 18-49. SmackDown finished ahead of everything else on television in the key demo.

There was also competition from the undercard of Netflix’s Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua boxing special that took place on the same night.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 25 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 43.2 percent.

This Friday’s December 26 episode of SmackDown has also been taped in advance. Spoilers for the show can be found here.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down 11.5 percent in viewers and 19.2 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
12/19/20250.21995,000
10-week average0.261,124,100

WWE SmackDown draws best viewership in three months

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.24 million viewers on USA Network, up 16.7 percent from the previous week. It’s the best audience for the show since September 19, which was before Nielsen switched over to its new Big Data + Panel ratings system.

The show took place on the eve of John Cena’s retirement match but did not include an appearance by Cena himself. It drew a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 8.3 percent from the prior week but ties the second-lowest rating SmackDown has done in that category since October 31.

SmackDown topped all of television in the key demo on Friday night. The most significant sports competition was women’s college basketball on ESPN2 with two games that each partially ran head-to-head with SmackDown. Those games ranked second and fourth on the cable charts for the night.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (which used Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting system), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 19 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 44.7 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was up 12.4 percent in viewers but was steady in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
10/3/20250.231,030,000
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
12/12/20250.261,240,000
10-week average0.261,103,100

WWE SmackDown ratings down for Survivor Series fallout episode

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

The December 5 episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 1.063 million viewers on USA Network, down 6.9 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total the show has done since Halloween night.

SmackDown drew a 0.24 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s a 14.3 percent decrease from the prior week and also ties the lowest rating the show has done in that category since the October 31 episode.

The biggest sports competition came from a slate of college football championship games, including the American Athletic Conference title game on ABC. SmackDown was headlined by Gunther defeating LA Knight in the Last Time is Now tournament finals.

As compared to the same week in 2024 (under Nielsen’s previous panel-only ratings reporting method), SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 28.9 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 45.5 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership totals and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, along with the 10-week average in each category. This week’s episode was down 5.1 percent in viewers and 11.1 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
9/26/20250.351,238,000
10/3/20250.231,030,000
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
11/28/20250.281,142,000
12/5/20250.241,063,000
10-week average0.271,120,600

Note: The first week on the chart was prior to Nielsen implementing the new Big Data + Panel system.

WWE SmackDown viewership and 18-49 demo rating up

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.21 million viewers on USA Network, up 4.5 percent from the previous week. This marks the best audience total for the show since Nielsen switched over to its new reporting system for ratings.

SmackDown ranked second on cable, and third overall on television, with a 0.29 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 7.4 percent from last week and matches the highest rating the show has done under the new Big Data + Panel model.

The show went head-to-head with a college football game on ESPN that topped all of TV with a 0.47 rating in 18-49.

As compared to the same week in 2024, under the old panel-only system, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 23.3 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 37 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s episode was up 5.1 percent in overall viewers and 3.6 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

Note: The Nielsen switch began on October 1 and has resulted in severe declines for most wrestling programming, particularly in the 18-49 demo.

WWE SmackDown ratings —

Date18-49Total viewers
9/12/20250.371,316,000
9/19/20250.371,342,000
9/26/20250.351,238,000
10/3/20250.231,030,000
10/10/20250.221,025,000
10/17/20250.281,182,000
10/24/20250.291,147,000
10/31/20250.20933,000
11/7/20250.261,141,000
11/14/20250.271,158,000
11/21/20250.291,210,000
10-week average0.281,151,200

WWE SmackDown ratings up, best viewership in four weeks

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.158 million viewers on USA Network, up 1.5 percent from the previous week. It’s the best audience total for the show since October 17.

SmackDown drew a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s up 3.8 percent from the November 7 episode and is the highest rating the show has done in that category since October 24. SmackDown finished second on cable and fifth overall on TV in the key demo for the night.

There was head-to-head competition from college football games on Fox and ESPN, with those games and the pre-show for the Fox game taking the top three spots on the charts. CBS’ Sheriff Country was the only other program to beat SmackDown.

As compared to the same week in 2024, using Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 6.2 percent while its 18-49 rating was down 15.6 percent. That episode in 2024 had lower-than-usual numbers due to taking place on the same night as Netflix’s Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing special.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s show was down three percent in viewers and 12.9 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

Note: Beginning on October 1, Nielsen started using the Big Data + Panel reporting method which has resulted in severe ratings declines for most wrestling shows.

WWE SmackDown ratings rebound from Halloween low

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s WWE SmackDown averaged 1.141 million viewers, up 22.3 percent from the previous week’s Halloween episode. This is the third-highest audience total the show has done since Nielsen started using its new ratings measurement system.

In the 18-49 demo, SmackDown drew a 0.26 rating. That’s up 30 percent from the October 31 episode and is also the third-best rating the show has done in that category under the new system. SmackDown finished second on cable and third on all of television in the key demo, trailing college football on Fox and college basketball on ESPN.

As compared to the same week in 2024, under Nielsen’s old panel-only reporting method, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 25.7 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 44.7 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s episode was down 4.5 percent in viewers and 16.1 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

Note: Beginning on October 1, Nielsen started using the new Big Data + Panel measurement system. The change has resulted in a severe decline for most pro wrestling shows.

WWE SmackDown draws record low ratings on Halloween

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Friday night’s Halloween edition of WWE SmackDown averaged 933,000 viewers on USA Network, down 18.7 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total the show has ever done on USA Network and lowest overall number for SmackDown since an episode that was moved to FS1 in November 2023.

SmackDown drew a 0.20 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s down 31 percent from the prior week and is also the lowest rating the show has done on USA. Other than a clip show on New Year’s Eve 2020, it’s the lowest rating SmackDown has ever done on any network.

Along with airing on Halloween (traditionally a bad night for wrestling shows), SmackDown went head-to-head with game six of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. The baseball game averaged 17.4 million viewers on Fox alone — in addition to airing on other platforms — and drew a 3.28 rating in the 18-49 demo, topping all of television in both categories.

As compared to the same week in 2024, under Nielsen’s old panel-only measurement system, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 34.7 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 52.4 percent.

Listed below are the last 11 weeks of viewership numbers and 18-49 demo ratings for SmackDown, as well as the 10-week average in both categories. This week’s episode was down 24 percent in viewers and 39.4 percent in 18-49 as compared to the recent averages.

Note: Starting on October 1, Nielsen switched to the new Big Data + Panel ratings measurement system, which has resulted in lower-than-usual ratings for most wrestling shows.