WWE
“WWE SmackDown’s” viewership has steadily declined over the past month following the introduction of Nielsen’s new “Big Data + Panel” ratings system, which has negatively affected wrestling ratings across the board. However, this past Friday, the blue brand was not only up against game 6 of the World Series, but also aired on Halloween night, which led to the show drawing historic low totals.
According to Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider, “SmackDown” averaged 933,000 viewers and posted an 0.20 in the key 18-49 demographic, which are the lowest numbers for both categories in the show’s history. When comparing the results to the previous week, total viewership decreased by 19%, while the 18-49 demo dropped by a staggering 31%. Since October 2024, “SmackDown” has lost 29% of its audience, but perhaps more concerning is its decline in the key demographic, which has fallen by nearly 50% over the past year.
Although “SmackDown’s” ratings suffered from many celebrating Halloween, the quest for championship gold between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers definitely had the largest impact on the night, with 17.4 million viewers tuning into the World Series game. WWE also faced college football competition on Friday, with the game between North Carolina and Syracuse charting above the blue brand in the 18-49 demo.
Along with viewership continuing to decrease, WWE’s ticket sales have also failed to improve as of late. “SmackDown” hailed from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah last week, and only managed to sell just over 4,200 tickets for the event, which is a 50% decline since the promotion’s last visit to the venue. Going forward, hopefully “SmackDown” will bounce back with the MLB Playoffs concluding and Survivor Series on the horizon, but the show will continue to face strong competition from the NHL and NBA throughout the winter.
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