Friday Night SmackDown fell to its lowest audience for a non-preempted version of the show in its history.
The August 29 taped edition from Lyon, France, averaged 1,147,000 viewers and 375,000 viewers (0.28) in the 18-49 demographic on the USA Network.
The viewership average dropped by nine percent from last week to the lowest in SmackDown’s history, except for several episodes during the Fox era between 2019-2024, which aired on FS1.
The 18-49 demographic saw a twenty percent decline from the previous week and represented its lowest mark since December 29, 2023, which was a “Best of” version of SmackDown.
However, even with the heavy loss of viewership, SmackDown ranked #2 among cable programs on Friday behind the College Football game between Georgia Tech and Colorado on ESPN (0.89).
The program ranked third among all television programs in the key demographic, and SmackDown also aired against Fox’s coverage of Auburn vs. Baylor.
SmackDown topped a Big 10 game between Western Michigan and Michigan State on FS1 (0.19), and programming on Fox News was among the top cable performers on Friday.
The show was tape-delayed from Lyon, France, and included John Cena appearing for a segment with Logan Paul and Sami Zayn defeating Solo Sikoa for the U.S. Championship in the main event.
Data: Programming Insider & Wrestlenomics
