Friday’s live post-Royal Rumble edition of WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.384 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen, via Showbuzz Daily.
This final number is down 6.28% from the previous week’s final viewership of 2.544 million viewers for the Royal Rumble go-home show.
Friday’s SmackDown drew a 0.61 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is down 8.95% from the previous week’s 0.67 rating. This past week’s 0.61 key demo rating represents 790,000 18-49 viewers, which is down 10.02% from the 878,000 18-49 viewers that the previous week’s 0.67 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 #2 in the 18-34 demo this week, even with the previous week’s #2 ranking. SmackDown ranked #3 in the 25-54 demo, down from the previous week’s #1 ranking. SmackDown came in at #7 for the night in viewership on network TV, down from the previous week’s #6 ranking. While SmackDown ranked #1 in the key demographic on broadcast TV for Friday night, Fire Country on CBS topped the day on network TV in viewership with an average of 6.369 million viewers.
SmackDown drew the second-highest total audience and the second-highest key demo rating of the year so far. Friday’s show drew well over the 2022 FOX average in viewership and the key demo rating. Sports competition on Friday included NHL All-Star Programming on ESPN, Top Rank Boxing on ESPN, one NBA game on NBA-TV, Premier League Soccer on USA Network, Pro Bowl Skills Showdown on the NFL Network, Liga MX Soccer on TUDN, three College Basketball games on FS1, Women’s College Gymnastics on ESPN2, two airings of College Wrestling on Big Ten Network, and PGA Tour Golf coverage on The Golf Channel. Friday’s SmackDown viewership was down 6.28% from the previous week, and the key demo rating was down 8.95% from the previous week.
Viewership for Friday’s SmackDown episode was up 10.83% from the same week in 2022, while Friday’s 18-49 key demo rating was up 19.60% from the same week in 2022. The 2022 episode was also the post-Royal Rumble show.
The 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition on ESPN topped the day on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.38 key demo rating, also drawing 1.023 million viewers. The Five on FOX News topped the night on cable in viewership with 3.498 million viewers, also drawing a 0.18 key demo rating.
Friday’s post-Royal Rumble edition of SmackDown aired live from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC, with the following line-up advertised ahead of time – Royal Rumble fallout, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defending against Sonya Deville, #1 Contenders Tag Team Tournament finals with Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser vs. Braun Strowman and Ricochet, Shayna Baszler vs. Shotzi vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya to determine the fifth spot in the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match, a taped NASCAR angle from LA Memorial Coliseum with Rey Mysterio, WWE NXT Tag Team Champions The New Day, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, plus an appearance by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, which was the show-closing segment.
Below is our 2023 SmackDown Viewership Tracker, along with the Top 10 moments from Friday’s show:
January 6 Episode: 2.257 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 13 Episode: 2.326 million viewers with a 0.55 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 20 Episode: 2.257 million viewers with a 0.55 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 27 Episode: 2.544 million viewers with a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 3 Episode: 2.384 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 10 Episode:
2022 Viewership Average: 2.123 million viewers per episode over 52 episodes
2022 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.51 rating per episode over 52 episodes
2022 FOX Viewership Average: 2.173 million viewers per episode over 50 episodes
2022 FOX 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.53 rating per episode over 50 episodes
2021 Viewership Average: 2.050 million viewers per episode over 52 episodes (2,082,154 without Best Of episode)
2021 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.54 rating per episode over 52 episodes (0.55 without Best Of episode)
2021 FOX Viewership Average: 2.127 million viewers per episode over 50 episodes
2021 FOX 18-49 Key Demo Rating Average: 0.56 rating per episode over 50 episodes
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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