Friday’s live edition of WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.174 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen, via Showbuzz Daily. This final number is down 4.27% from the previous week’s final viewership of 2.271 million viewers for the first episode of 2022.
Friday’s SmackDown drew a 0.56 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is down 3.44% from the previous week’s 0.58 rating. This week’s 0.56 key demo rating represents 730,000 18-49 viewers, which is down 3.34% from the 756,000 18-49 viewers that the previous week’s 0.58 key demo rating drew, according to Wrestlenomics.
SmackDown ranked #2 in ratings for the key 18-49 demographic on network TV, up from the previous week’s #3 ranking. SmackDown ranked #1 in the 18-34 demo this week, up from the previous week’s #2 ranking. SmackDown ranked #5 in the 25-54 demo, down from the previous week’s #3 ranking. SmackDown came in at #8 for the night in viewership on network TV, down from the previous week’s #7 ranking. Blue Bloods on CBS topped the night on network TV in viewership this week with 6.438 million viewers, while ABC’s Shark Tank topped the night in the key demographic with a 0.60 rating.
Friday’s live SmackDown saw a drop in viewership and key demo rating from the previous week, but the numbers were up from what the show had been doing at the end of the year. Friday’s viewership was down 4.27% from the previous week’s episode, while the key demo rating was up 20.83% from the previous week’s episode. Viewership for Friday’s SmackDown episode was down 3.89% from the same week in 2021, while Friday’s 18-49 key demo rating was down 16.41% from the same week in 2021.
