Friday’s live edition of WWE SmackDown drew an average of 2.220 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen.
This final number is up 3.4% from the overnight viewership that was released on Saturday morning, which was an average of 2.147 million viewers. This number is down 1.33% from last week’s final SmackDown viewership of 2.250 million viewers for the post-SummerSlam episode.
Friday’s SmackDown drew a 0.62 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This is up 5.08% from last week’s 0.59 rating. That 0.62 rating represents 805,000 viewers in the 18-49 key demographic, which is up 5.37% from the 764,000 18-49 viewers from last week.
SmackDown ranked #1 in ratings for the key 18-49 demographic on network TV, for the fourth week in a row. SmackDown also ranked #1 in the 18-34 demo this week, for the fourth week in a row, and #1 in the 25-54 demo, for the fourth week in a row. SmackDown came in at #5 for the night in viewership on network TV. 20/20 on ABC topped the night on network TV in viewership this week with 2.762 million viewers.
The college football game between North Carolina and Virginia Tech on ESPN topped the night on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.74 18-49 key demo rating, drawing 2.580 million viewers. Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News topped the night on cable in viewership with 2.899 million viewers, ranking #6 for the night on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.24 key demo rating.
Friday’s SmackDown drew one of the best key demo ratings of the year, and the best since fans returned to the crowd. Friday’s viewership was up down 1.33% from the week before, while the key demo rating was up 5.08% from the week before.
Viewership for Friday’s SmackDown episode was up 4.3% from the same week in 2020, while Friday’s 18-49 key demo rating was up 3.3% from the same week in 2020.
Friday’s live SmackDown from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL had just a few happenings advertised ahead of time – Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins, a non-title Championship Contender’s match with The Street Profits vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, and the main event, which saw WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns face Finn Balor.
