:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64932658/20190806_SD_Zig__c2e4c76ecd52794f1aaf4caa239845c2.0.jpg)
For weeks, we’ve been hearing about SmackDown LIVE being rewritten up to and past the start of the show. Has that had any impact on the viewership numbers or rating?
It doesn’t seem to be helping in a big way, but there’s not much evidence it’s hurting, either. Aug. 6’s SummerSlam ‘go home’ edition was reportedly re-worked by Vince McMahon, and saw its numbers climb from the week prior.
Of course, last week’s numbers were... not good. That was because the Democratic Presidential Debate drew a huge audience, and it continues to look like competition more than content is the main thing driving changes in SmackDown’s ratings.
For last night, the blue brand had an audience of 2,088,000. That’s up approximately 177K from the week before. It made SmackDown the seventh most watched cable original program, behind Rachel Maddow on MSNBC and five shows in Fox News political talk line-up.
Ratings-wise, the show scored a .63 among 18-49 year olds, easily the best number on cable. It was also higher in that demographic than shows on broadcast networks Fox and CBS during the 8 - 10PM eastern time slot.
Fortunately, nobody has to worry about any of this, because Fox has a plan to make sure the show is a “home run” when it moves to Fridays on Oct. 4. If you want to think more about it anyway, here’s a list of SmackDown’s numbers from the past six months:
July 30 - 1.91 / .57
July 23 - 2.16 / .65
July 16 - 2.12 / .65
July 9 - 1.85 million / .53
July 2 - 1.89 / .56
June 25 - 1.92 / .62
June 18 - 1.86 / .56
June 11 - 1.93 million / .60
June 4 - 2.02 / .60
May 28 - 2.07 / .69
May 21 - 1.98 / .61
May 14 - 1.83 / .56
May 7 - 1.93 / .58
April 30 - 1.83 / .54
April 23 - 2.07 / .71
April 16 - 2.22 / .74
April 9 - 2.2 / .78
April 2 - 2.14 / .71
Mar. 26 - 2.39 / .79
Mar. 19 - 2.21 / .74
Mar. 12 - 2.2 / .71
Mar. 5 - 2.16 / .7
Feb. 26 - 2.15 / .76
Feb. 19 - 2.27 / .75
Feb. 12 - 2.03 / .66
Feb. 5 - 1.84 / .64
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.
Source: Showbuzz Daily