WWE SmackDown draws record low ratings with new reporting model
Wrestling ratings continue to be hit hard by Nielsen’s new reporting model.
Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.03 million viewers on USA Network, down 19 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total the show has done since returning to USA Network and is the lowest overall number for SmackDown since November 29, 2023 — when the show was moved to FS1 due to Fox airing college football in its time slot.
This and last week were the first two weeks of SmackDown numbers reported under Nielsen’s new “Big Data + Panel” methodology, which aims to provide more accurate data by replacing the old panel-only system. Thus far, that has resulted in much lower wrestling numbers than had previously been reported.
SmackDown finished third on cable on Friday night with a 0.23 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s down 34.3 percent from last week and is also the lowest rating the show has done in that category on USA Network. Overall, it ties the lowest rating SmackDown has ever done for a first-run episode of the show. A “Best Of” special on New Year’s Eve in 2021 did draw a lower rating (0.08) on FS1.
The MLB playoffs had the night off on Friday, but there was sports competition from a WNBA Finals game on ESPN that topped all of cable with a 0.44 rating in 18-49 and 1.858 million viewers overall.
As compared to the same week in 2024, when Nielsen still used the panel-only rating system, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 32.2 percent while the 18-49 rating was down 51.1 percent.
