WWE SmackDown Draws Record Low Viewership This Week
This week's WWE SmackDown episode, featuring a closing segment with Kevin Owens and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston plus a main event of Randy Orton and Andrade vs. Ali and WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor, drew 1.833 million viewers.
This is down 11.5% from last week's 2.072 million viewers and the lowest SmackDown audience for a non-holiday first-run episode in history. The only first-run episode that did worse was the New Year's Eve 2015 episode, which drew 1.658 million viewers and was the final SmackDown on Syfy. This was back when the show was taped and featured Superstars from both brands.
Viewership is down 25% from the episode from the same week last year, which averaged 2.436 million viewers.
SmackDown was #13 for the night in viewership on cable, behind the NBA Playoffs game between the Rockets and the Warriors, the NBA Playoffs game between the Celtics and the Bucks, Curse of Oak Island, Inside The NBA Playoffs, Curse of Civil War Gold, Hannity, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Rachel Maddow Show, Special Report, The Five, The Story and Last Word. SmackDown was #7 in the 18-49 demographic this week, behind the two NBA games, Inside The NBA, Curse of Oak Island, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and the NHL quarter finals game between Boston and Columbus. The Rockets vs. Warriors game topped the night in the 18-49 demographic Cable Top 150 and in viewership with 6.073 million viewers.
The big draw on network TV at 8pm was NCIS on CBS, which drew 11.803 million viewers.
To compare, Monday's WWE RAW drew 2.158 million viewers, down from last week's 2.375 million viewers and the lowest non-holiday RAW viewership in history, besides the 2018 New Year's Eve and 2018 Christmas Eve taped episodes, which drew 1.968 million and 1.775 million viewers. It topped SmackDown by 15%.
Below is our 2019 SmackDown Viewership Tracker:
January 1 Episode: 2.091 million viewers (New Year's episode, taped)
January 8 Episode: 2.032 million viewers
January 15 Episode: 2.143 million viewers
January 22 Episode: 2.142 million viewers
January 29 Episode: 2.137 million viewers (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 5 Episode: 1.841 million viewers (State of the Union competition)
February 12 Episode: 2.034 million viewers
February 19 Episode: 2.269 million viewers (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
February 26 Episode: 2.150 million viewers
March 5 Episode: 2.155 million viewers
March 12 Episode: 2.198 million viewers (post-Fastlane episode)
March 19 Episode: 2.208 million viewers
March 26 Episode: 2.393 million viewers
April 2 Episode: 2.141 million viewers
April 9 Episode: 2.199 million viewers (post-WrestleMania 35 episode)
April 16 Episode: 2.219 million viewers (Superstar Shakeup episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.072 million viewers
April 30 Episode: 1.833 million viewers
May 7 Episode:
2018 Total: 122.304 million viewers
2018 Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode
2017 Total: 132.401 million viewers
2017 Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode