WWE SmackDown viewership dropped on October 23, with the blue brand feeling the full force of World Series competition. According to Wrestlenomics, the October 23 episode drew 1.1 million viewers on USA Network, down from the 1.327 million who tuned in on October 16.
WWE SmackDown October 23 Viewership Falls to 1.1 Million
The demographic picture told a similar story. Friday’s episode scored a 0.24 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic, down from the 0.32 rating the show posted the previous Friday. That is a notable week-over-week slide, though the context explains much of it.
SmackDown was up against Game One of the World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers, which scored over 12 million viewers on FOX. Going head-to-head with baseball’s biggest stage is one of the toughest draws on the television calendar, and the numbers reflect that uphill battle.
Most-Viewed SmackDown Clips on YouTube
Despite the television dip, SmackDown’s biggest moments still found a large audience online. The top five most-viewed WWE SmackDown videos on YouTube were led by the full segment of Cody Rhodes challenging Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing Match, which pulled in 564,000 views.
Behind it came CM Punk and Kevin Owens trading insults during an intense interview with 405,000 views, followed by Sami Zayn cheap-shotting Trick Williams in a fierce war of words at 395,000. A chaotic brawl between Bakusai and The MFTs after Kyoki stole Haku’s staff drew 384,000 views, while Tiffany Stratton saving Chelsea Green from The Judgment Day rounded out the top five with 377,000.
The YouTube numbers suggest the show’s storylines are still cutting through, even when live television ratings take a hit against major sporting competition.
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Source: Fightful — read the full story there.
