WWE SmackDown Final Viewership Down For Career Vs. Title Match With NFL Draft Competition
Friday's live edition of WWE SmackDown, featuring WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeating Daniel Bryan in the big Career vs. Title main event, drew an average of 2.018 million viewers on FOX, according to Showbuzz Daily.
This final number is up from the overnight viewership that was released on Saturday morning, which was an average of 1.932 million viewers. This number is down from last week's final SmackDown viewership of 2.121 million viewers.
Friday's SmackDown drew a 0.49 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, a 0.64 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.30 rating in the 18-34 demographic. Last week's SmackDown drew a 0.54 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, a 0.69 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.32 rating in the 18-34 demographic.
SmackDown ranked #1 in ratings for the key 18-49 demographic on network TV. SmackDown ranked #1 in the 18-34 demo this week, for the second week in a row. Despite topping the night, it was the lowest rating in the demo for a SmackDown episode on FOX since last July.
The show ranked #5 in the 25-54 demo, behind Magnum PI's 0.78 rating, Blue Bloods' 0.77 rating, MacGyver's 0.72 rating, and Dateline's 0.65 rating. SmackDown came in at #7 for the night in viewership on network TV. Blue Bloods on CBS topped the night on network TV in viewership this week with 6.286 million viewers. The NFL Draft on ABC brought some competition to network TV on Friday night, drawing 2.061 million viewers. The draft drew a 0.47 rating in the key demo, a 0.63 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.28 rating in the 18-34 demo.
The NFL Draft also dominated on cable TV for Friday night. ESPN's NFL Draft coverage at 7pm topped the night on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.91 rating in the 18-49 key demo. ESPN's NFL Draft coverage also topped the night in cable viewership with 2.591 million viewers.
Below is our 2021 SmackDown Viewership Tracker, along with the Top 10 moments from Friday's show:
January 1 Episode: 2.013 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic (New Year's episode)
January 8 Episode: 2.120 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 15 Episode: 2.262 million viewers with a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 22 Episode: 2.383 million viewers with a 0.63 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 29 Episode: 2.304 million viewers with a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 5 Episode: 2.257 million viewers with a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 12 Episode: 1.990 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 19 Episode: 2.217 million viewers with a 0.59 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 26 Episode: 2.145 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
March 5 Episode: 2.252 million viewers with a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 12 Episode: 2.171 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 19 Episode: 2.093 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 26 Episode: 2.191 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Fastlane episode)
April 2 Episode: 2.137 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 9 Episode: 2.250 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 16 Episode: 2.119 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-WrestleMania 37 episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.121 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 30 Episode: 2.018 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 7 Episode:
2020 Total: 113.372 million viewers
2020 Average: 2.180 million viewers per episode (2 FS1 airings)
2019 Total: 112.530 million viewers
2019 Average: 2.164 million viewers per episode (1 FS1 airing)
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