Friday Night SmackDown achieved its largest audience over the past five weeks.
The March 13 episode averaged 1,419,000 viewers and 436,000 viewers (0.32) in the 18-49 demographic on the USA Network. It was the show’s largest audience since February 6 and best performance in the core demographic since February 27, with each category growing by 19% this week.
This came after a surprisingly low audience the week prior, despite the advertised match between Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
In the 18-49 category, male viewership was responsible for the growth due to an increase from 236,000 to 289,000 viewers this week. Female viewership was unchanged from last week.
Adults 18-34 saw a jump from 0.13 to 0.18, and adults 25-54 moved from 0.35 to 0.45 this week.
SmackDown ranked fourth on cable in prime time on Friday, behind ESPN’s various college basketball coverage
SmackDown ranked first on cable with males 25-54 and Teens 12-17. It also ranked second among adults 25-54.
Data: Programming Insider & Wrestlenomics
