By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown finished with 2.151 million viewers for Fox, according to Showbuzzdaily.com. The number is down from the 2.217 million viewership count from the previous episode.
Powell’s POV: Friday’s Smackdown delivered a 0.51 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was second in the Friday network ratings battle behind only NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics. The Smackdown number was down from the previous episode’s 0.56 rating in the same demo. All things considered, Smackdown held up well against the strong Winter Olympics competition.
The Olympics are baffling to me. They draw huge numbers for some reason yet they’re also a massive money loser. Kudos to both Smackdown and Rampage for not getting completely obliterated by them. With almost 11 million watching NBC it could have been much worse for both shows.