WWE’s SmackDown has been confirmed to remain on Friday nights following its upcoming return to the USA Network, a move that has raised questions about the potential impact on viewership. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer expressed his concerns in the latest edition of the, suggesting that the decision to keep SmackDown on Fridays could lead to a significant drop in viewership, potentially affecting both the network’s ratings and WWE’s overall success.
Meltzer’s assessment underscores the risks associated with broadcasting SmackDown on Friday nights. He highlighted that USA Network might face a considerable decline in viewers, even though it lacks other shows that can attract audiences at the same level as SmackDown. The anticipated drop in viewership, according to Meltzer, could be as much as 20 percent or more due to the typical decrease in television audiences on Friday nights.
“We had been told the plan was to keep SmackDown on Fridays on USA, but this makes no sense at all for either the network or the promotion,” Meltzer explained. “USA will have no other show that will do close to the numbers of SmackDown, and being on Friday easily costs it 20 percent or more in viewership.”
Despite the expected improvement in ratings compared to SmackDown’s stint on FS1, where it often underperformed, the decision to keep the show on Friday nights could limit its contribution to the network’s overall success. Meltzer noted that even though SmackDown might outperform its FS1 numbers, Friday remains a challenging time slot, with less overall television viewership and more sports competition.
Additionally, Meltzer highlighted the financial aspect, indicating that USA Network is paying slightly more for SmackDown than it did for Raw, despite the latter having three hours of airtime compared to SmackDown’s two. This financial disparity, coupled with the projected decrease in viewership, could lead to a less-than-ideal outcome for both the network and WWE.
“They are paying slightly more money than they were paying for Raw, only getting two hours instead of three (unless that changes), and I’d expect easily a 20 to 30 percent drop in viewers for those two hours as what they were getting for three,” Meltzer stated.
The potential repercussions of this decision are significant, with USA Network and WWE potentially missing out on a larger audience that other nights of the week could attract. As the WWE and USA Network continue to navigate the challenges of network programming and viewership trends, the impact of this decision will likely become more evident in the coming months.
