Friday’s taped edition of WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.376 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen, via Showbuzz Daily.
This final number is up 8.44% from the previous week’s final viewership of 2.191 million viewers for the live episode.
Friday’s SmackDown drew a 0.55 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is up 8.77% from the previous week’s 0.52 rating. This past week’s 0.55 key demo rating represents 717,000 18-49 viewers, which is up 8.25% from the 678,000 18-49 viewers that the previous week’s 0.52 key demo rating drew, according to Wrestlenomics.
SmackDown ranked #1 in ratings for the key 18-49 demographic on network TV, even with the previous week’s #1 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, even with the previous week’s #1 ranking. SmackDown came in at #4 for the night in viewership on network TV, up from the previous week’s #5 ranking. While WWE SmackDown topped the day on network TV in the key demographic, How The Grinch Stole Christmas on NBC topped the day on network TV in viewership with an average of 2.806 million viewers, also drawing a 0.44 key demo rating.
Friday’s SmackDown the highest total audience since September 23. SmackDown was only out-ranked by the Wake Forest vs. Missouri College Football on ESPN this week. Additional cable sports competition on Friday included two College Football games on ESPN, two NBA games on NBA-TV, one B1G Men’s College Basketball game on Big Ten Network, three College Basketball games on ESPN2, two Copa por Mexico soccer games on TUDN. Friday’s SmackDown viewership was up 8.44% from the last FOX episode, and the key demo rating was down 8.77% from the last FOX episode.
Viewership for Friday’s SmackDown episode was up 20.49% from the same week in 2021, while Friday’s 18-49 key demo rating was up 14.58% from the same week in 2021. The 2021 episode was a taped Christmas Eve show.
The College Football Bowl game between Wake Forest and Missouri on ESPN topped the day on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.86 key demo rating. The game also topped the night on cable in viewership with 3.539 million viewers.
Friday’s SmackDown was taped the week before from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL, with full spoilers and the following line-up advertised ahead of time – a Gauntlet to determine the new #1 contender to SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, an appearance by Bray Wyatt, appearances by The Bloodline, Rey Mysterio vs. Angel, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos defend against Hit Row, plus Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci in a Miracle on 34th Street Fight, which was the main event.
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: 2.389 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: 2.535 million viewers with a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic
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:
November 11 Episode: 2.264 million viewers with a 0.58 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Crown Jewel Veteran’s Day episode)
November 18 Episode: 2.232 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic
November 25 Episode: 2.166 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic
December 2 Episode: 902,000 viewers with a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Post-Survivor Series FS1 cable episode)
December 9 Episode: 2.306 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
December 16 Episode: 2.191 million viewers with a 0.52 rating in the 18-49 demographic
December 23 Episode: 2.376 million viewers with a 0.55 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Taped episode)
December 30 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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