“WWE SmackDown’s” viewership has steadily declined over the past month following the introduction of Nielsen’s latest “Big Data + Panel” rankings system, which has negatively affected wrestling rankings across the board. Nevertheless, this past Friday, the blue brand was not only up against game 6 of the World Series, but additionally aired on Halloween night, which led to the show drawing historic low totals.
In accordance with Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider, “SmackDown” averaged 933,000 viewers and posted an 0.20 in the important thing 18-49 demographic, that are the bottom numbers for each categories within the show’s history. When comparing the outcomes to the previous week, total viewership decreased by 19%, while the 18-49 demo dropped by a staggering 31%. Since October 2024, “SmackDown” has lost 29% of its audience, but perhaps more concerning is its decline in the important thing demographic, which has fallen by nearly 50% over the past 12 months.
Although “SmackDown’s” rankings suffered from many celebrating Halloween, the hunt for championship gold between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers definitely had the biggest impact on the night, with 17.4 million viewers tuning into the World Series game. WWE also faced college football competition on Friday, with the sport between North Carolina and Syracuse charting above the blue brand within the 18-49 demo.
Together with viewership continuing to diminish, WWE’s ticket sales have also didn’t improve as of late. “SmackDown” hailed from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah last week, and only managed to sell just over 4,200 tickets for the event, which is a 50% decline because the promotion’s last visit to the venue. Going forward, hopefully “SmackDown” will bounce back with the MLB Playoffs concluding and Survivor Series on the horizon, however the show will proceed to face strong competition from the NHL and NBA throughout the winter.