WWE SmackDown & Raw Buck Q1 Market Trends, Crush Ratings

Ahead of its earnings call for the first quarter of 2023, WWE released highlights of the company's performance thus far. According to a WWE press release, both "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown" saw a solid viewership increase of 7% over the first three months of 2023. Contextually, the cable and broadcast TV markets both declined a respective 15% and 6%, meaning WWE's flagship programs both outperformed their respective markets. 

Both WWE premium live events in Q1, the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber events, set viewership records, each with more than a 50% year-over-year increase.

WWE also highlighted WrestleMania's performance, despite falling outside Q1, boasting a 29% increase in global unique viewership and 31% domestic unique viewership year-over-year.