WWE SmackDown Viewership Falls Post-Hell In A Cell
A drop from last week's go-home broadcast
Overnight viewership of WWE SmackDown dropped on Friday night, falling from its recent six week high.
Per Spoiler TV, SmackDown averaged 1,859,000 viewers for the June 25 broadcast, down 67,000 (3.5 percent) from last week's 1,926,000 viewers.
Hour one averaged 1,913,000 viewers, while hour two sunk to 1,805,000 viewers.
SmackDown drew a .50 rating in the 18-49 demo, which has typically been the recent norm.
SmackDown faced considerable sports competition on Friday. On network TV, the blue brand lost to NBC's coverage of the Olympic trials in both viewership and demo. SmackDown's second hour drop could perhaps be attributed to the trials gaining over 200,000 viewers from its first to its second hour (averaging 4,363,000 viewers in the 9 PM EST hour).
SmackDown also had to contend with a crucial game seven of the NHL's playoff series between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning on USA, and game two of the NBA's series between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks on TNT. Viewership info for those events are not yet available.
SmackDown Overnight Viewership, Last 10 Weeks
* April 23: 2,042,000
* April 30: 1,923,000
* May 7: 2,157,000
* May 14: 1,800,000
* May 21: 1,830,000
* May 28: 1,755,000
* June 4: 1,792,000
* June 11: 1,853,000
* June 18: 1,926,000
* June 25: 1,859,000
AVERAGE: 1,894,000
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
