WWE SmackDown ratings down against NCAA March Madness
Friday night’s WWE SmackDown episode averaged 1.459 million viewers on the USA Network, down 7.1 percent from the previous week. It’s the lowest audience total the show has done since February 14.
SmackDown finished fifth on cable in the prime time TV charts with a 0.39 rating in the 18-49 demo. That’s down 25 percent from last week and is the lowest rating the show has drawn in that category since December 20.
The episode went head-to-head with several NCAA basketball tournament games in both the men’s and women’s divisions airing on various networks. Those games — and coverage related to the games — dominated the TV charts. SmackDown was the highest rated program on all of television not related to the tournament.
As compared to the same week in 2024, when the show still aired on Fox, SmackDown’s overall viewership was down 34.7 percent while its 18-49 rating was down 36.1 percent.
Compared to the 10-week averages prior to this week, this week’s show was down 6.4 percent in overall viewers and 18.8 percent in 18-49.
