Factors Responsible For 12/1 WWE SmackDown’s Abnormally Low Viewership

Subhojeet Mukherjee on December 7, 2023

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WWE is always looking ahead regarding their shows, as the company is focused on providing the best product possible for fans, week in and week out. That said, there was a good reason why Smackdown’s viewership from last week was shockingly low.

The December 1st episode of WWE SmackDown was broadcast live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The blue brand provided fans with the aftermath of last Saturday’s Survivor Series and the intense WarGames matches.

On December 1st, SmackDown brought the return of United States Champion Logan Paul to WWE television. During that segment, WWE announced the commencement of a new United States tournament. On top of that, the highly anticipated blue brand return of Randy Orton saw him ink an exclusive deal with the blue brand.

The show also brought in an overnight average viewership of 2,044,000 viewers, with a 0.59 in the coveted P18-49 demographic. Naturally, fans were also shocked by this lower rating. It was Smackdown’s lowest total viewership on Fox since Aug 2022.

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed why the December 1st episode of Friday Night Smackdown was low compared to usual weeks. He noted that it was largely because the Oregon-Washington NFL game took place on Friday, which took away a lot of Smackdown’s regular viewers.

‘‘That number was artificially low because they were pre-empted in so many markets for NFL football. You know, obviously, the Friday night show, they had the big football game that was on head to head, it was Oregon-Washington game, it did over 9 million viewers. That was the main reason why Smackdown was lower than usual.’”

WWE has a lot of things planned for this week’s episode of Friday Night Smackdown, which will be a Tributes to The Troops edition of the show. We’ll have to see how the show will turn out.

Transcription by Ringside News

What’s your view on this story? Were you also shocked by Smackdown’s low viewership? Let us know in the comments below!

December 7, 2023 6:22 am

Subhojeet Mukherjee

Subhojeet, a professional wrestling fan for over 20+ years, found his passion during the Monday Night Wars. With expertise honed over decades and a broad spectrum of interests including TV, movies, anime, novels, and music, he offers insightful analysis and coverage. Respected in the industry, Subhojeet keeps fans informed and engaged with his knowledge and perspective.