Friday’s live WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.290 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen, via Showbuzz Daily.
This final number is up 19.64% from the previous week’s final viewership of 1.914 million viewers for the post-Hell In a Cell episode.
Friday’s SmackDown drew a 0.57 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is up 30.66% from the previous week’s 0.44 rating. This week’s 0.57 key demo rating represents 750,000 18-49 viewers, which is up 6.36% from the 574,000 18-49 viewers that the previous week’s 0.44 key demo rating drew, according to Wrestlenomics.
SmackDown ranked #1 in ratings for the key 18-49 demographic on network TV, up from the previous week’s #4 ranking. SmackDown ranked #1 in the 18-34 demo this week, up from the previous week’s #3 ranking. SmackDown ranked #1 in the 25-54 demo, up from the previous week’s #5 ranking. SmackDown came in at #3 for the night in viewership on network TV, up from the previous week’s #8 ranking and much better than the usual viewership ranking. While SmackDown topped the night on network TV in the key demo rating, 20/20 on ABC topped the night on network TV in viewership with 2.611 million viewers, also drawing a 0.32 key demo rating for the #3 spot there.
Friday’s live SmackDown drew the highest total audience since the WrestleMania 38 go-home episode on April 1, and the highest key demo rating since the post-WrestleMania episode on April 8. There was some minor sports competition from golf and the College World Series on cable, but it was a fairly normal night on TV. Friday’s viewership was up 19.64% from the previous week’s episode, while the key demo rating was up 29.54% from the previous week’s episode.
Viewership for Friday’s SmackDown episode was up 11.98% from the same week in 2021, while Friday’s 18-49 key demo rating was up 5.55% from the same week in 2021.
The College World Series on ESPN at 7pm topped the night on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.24 key demo rating, also drawing 1.133 million viewers. The Five on FOX News topped the night on cable in viewership with 2.733 million viewers, also ranking #3 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.18 key demo rating.
Friday’s SmackDown aired live from the Target Center in Minneapolis, with the following line-up advertised – Vince McMahon in the opening segment, Max Dupri revealing the first client of his Maximum Male Models agency, Madcap Moss vs. Happy Baron Corbin in a Last Laugh match, and Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Riddle in the main event.
Stay tuned for more ratings data. Below is our 2022 SmackDown Viewership Tracker, along with the Top 10 moments from Friday’s show:
January 7 Episode: 2.271 million viewers with a 0.58 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Day 1 episode)
January 14 Episode: 2.174 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 21 Episode: 2.255 million viewers with a 0.64 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 28 Episode: 2.217 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 4 Episode: 2.151 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 11 Episode: 2.231 million viewers with a 0.55 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 18 Episode: 2.173 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped episode)
February 25 Episode: 2.114 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Elimination Chamber episode)
March 4 Episode: 2.261 million viewers with a 0.59 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 11 Episode: 2.226 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 18 Episode: 2.147 million viewers with a 0.58 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 25 Episode: 2.180 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 1 Episode: 2.359 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic (WrestleMania SmackDown episode)
April 8 Episode: 2.230 million viewers with a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-WrestleMania 38 episode)
April 15 Episode: 2.142 million viewers with a 0.48 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 22 Episode: 1.952 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 29 Episode: 1.953 million viewers with a 0.38 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped episode)
May 6 Episode: 1.998 million viewers with a 0.46 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 13 Episode: 1.893 million viewers with a 0.40 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-WrestleMania Backlash episode)
May 20 Episode: 2.031 million viewers with a 0.45 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 27 Episode: 1.878 million viewers with a 0.43 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 3 Episode: 1.939 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 10 Episode: 1.914 million viewers with a 0.44 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Hell In a Cell episode)
June 17 Episode: 2.290 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 24 Episode:
2021 Viewership Average: 2.050 million viewers per episode (2,082,154 without Best Of episode)
2021 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.54 rating per episode (0.55 without Best Of episode)
2021 FOX Viewership Average: 2.127 million viewers per episode
2021 FOX 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.56 rating per episode
2021 FS1 Viewership Average: 758,667 viewers per episode (includes Best Of episode; 949,000 without it)
2021 FS1 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.20 rating per episode (includes Best Of episode; 0.27 without it)
2020 Viewership Average: 2.180 million viewers per episode (2 FS1 airings)
2019 Viewership Average: 2.164 million viewers per episode (1 FS1 airing)
2018 Viewership Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode
2017 Viewership Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode
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