Friday’s edition of the WWE SmackDown on FS1 drew an average of 835,000 viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen, via Showbuzz Daily.
This final number is down 62.57% from the previous week’s final viewership of 2.231 million viewers for the regular FOX episode. This comparison is irrelevant as the previous week’s episode aired on FOX network TV, while Friday’s show aired on FS1 cable.
These numbers are also irrelevant due to the network-to-cable change, but Friday’s SmackDown drew a 0.23 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is down 55.76% from the previous week’s 0.52 rating. This past week’s 0.23 key demo rating represents 305,000 18-49 viewers, which is down 55.01% from the 678,000 18-49 viewers that the previous week’s 0.52 key demo rating drew, according to Wrestlenomics.
The last WWE SmackDown episode to air via FS1 was the Halloween episode on October 29, 2021. This episode drew 1.032 million viewers with a 0.29 key demo rating, and 373,000 key demo viewers. To compare Friday’s FS1 episode with the October 29, 2021 show, Friday’s viewership was down 19.08%, while Friday’s key demo rating was down 20.68%, and Friday’s key demo viewers were down 18.23%.
Friday’s SmackDown ranked #5 for the night on the Cable Top 150 with the 0.23 key demo rating. This is down from the #3 ranking that the 2021 FS1 episode did. The network TV episodes have ranked #1 in the key 18-49 demographic for 14 straight weeks.
Friday’s SmackDown ranked #34 in viewership for the night on cable. This is down from the #24 ranking that the 2021 FS1 episode did. The network TV episodes have ranked #7 in viewership for 4 straight weeks.
Friday’s SmackDown drew the lowest total audience and the lowest key demo rating of the year so far, but it’s important to note that this was the only FS1 episode of the year so far, and the cable numbers are always lower than the network TV numbers. Sports competition from Friday included two NBA games on ESPN, College Football on ESPN2, the MLB World Series on FOX network TV and FOX Deportes, plus AEW Rampage on TBS.
The MLB World Series game between the Astros and the Phillies on FOX topped the night on network TV in viewership with an average of 11.475 million viewers. The MLB World Series game also topped the night on network TV in the 18-49 key demo with a 2.85 rating.
Friday’s SmackDown aired live from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, with the following line-up advertised ahead of time – Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa vs. Ridge Holland and Butch in the opener, Hit Row and a mystery partner (Shinsuke Nakamura) vs. Legado del Fantasma, SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey defending in an Open Challenge (the returning Emma), an appearance by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, plus Bray Wyatt addressing his demons, which was the show-closing main event segment.
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 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: 2.389 million viewers with a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic
June 24 Episode: 2.231 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 1 Episode: 2.142 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 8 Episode: 2.129 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Money In the Bank episode)
July 15 Episode: 2.077 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 22 Episode: 2.256 million viewers with a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic
July 29 Episode: 2.193 million viewers with a 0.52 rating in the 18-49 demographic
August 5 Episode: 2.093 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-SummerSlam episode)
August 12 Episode: 1.927 million viewers with a 0.44 rating in the 18-49 demographic
August 19 Episode: 2.084 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the 18-49 demographic (1200th episode)
August 26 Episode: 1.990 million viewers with a 0.48 rating in the 18-49 demographic
September 2 Episode: 2.077 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped episode)
September 9 Episode: 2.367 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Clash at The Castle episode)
September 16 Episode: 2.212 million viewers with a 0.50 rating in the 18-49 demographic
September 23 Episode:
September 30 Episode: 2.207 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic
October 7 Episode: 2.243 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Season Premiere)
October 14 Episode: 2.274 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Extreme Rules episode)
October 21 Episode: 2.231 million viewers with a 0.52 rating in the 18-49 demographic
October 28 Episode: 835,000 viewers with a 0.23 rating in the 18-49 demographic (FS1 cable episode)
November 4 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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