:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54348175/119_SD_04182017cm_1003__b49a1d72643de4ea70315c8450e0fa0f.0.jpg)
Well, you knew SmackDown was coming down from their “Superstar Shake-Up” heights of last week, but this is a bit jarring.
With an advertised Six-Pack challenge to determine Randy Orton’s next challenger for the World title, Team Blue went from their biggest number of the year to their second lowest, as the April 18 episode drew 2.54 million viewers, down more than 500,000 from last week.
It wasn’t just the lack of roster moves, however. The NBA playoffs also took a bite out the audience, as not only was SmackDown sixth in viewership on the night, but were actually beaten in share of the 18 - 49 demographic. WWE usually wins that on Tuesdays, but last night was behind both the 8PM Eastern Boston/Chicago game and 10PM Los Angeles Clippers/Utah round one contest.
We’ll see how things look next week, when the competition could be stiffer thanks to possible elimination games in these basketball playoff series. In the meantime, here’s a rundown of the blue brand’s audiences this year:
April 11 - 3.11 million
April 4 - 2.89 million
March 29 - 2.7 million
March 21 - 2.65 million
March 14 - 2.63 million
March 7 - 2.74 million
February 28 - 2.57 million
Feb. 21 - 2.79 million
Feb. 14 - 2.63 million
Feb. 7 - 2.63 million
Jan. 31 - 2.82 million
Jan. 24 - 2.56 million
Jan. 17 - 2.65 million
Jan. 10 -2.53 million
Jan. 3 - 2.59 million
For complete results and the live blog for SmackDown this week click here. To read a complete recap & review of all the night’s events click here. For a full playlist of the show click here.