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As “WWE SmackDown” shifts channels from Fox to USA Network on Friday as part of WWE’s recent rights deal, the show’s viewership has been up 7% year over year in the key 18-49 demographic, according to data from Nielsen shared by the company. “SmackDown” has averaged 840,000 viewers in the demo per week this year to date, compared with 788,000 per week in the same period in 2023.
The show faces a challenging future, with viewership numbers likely to dip given the smaller overall penetration of USA Network on cable compared with broadcast network Fox, as well as the return of college football. But the “SmackDown” increase in real viewership is particularly impressive amid the ongoing decline of traditional linear programming, with the number of 18-49-year-olds watching TV overall down 13% vs. 2023.
“SmackDown” goes into its new home with a strong run giving it some excellent momentum, ranking No. 1 in the demographic on 26 out of 36 Fridays this year. It’s also come in ranked at least No. 3 in the weeks where it didn’t win in the demo.
The “SmackDown” move comes as part of a five-year media rights deal announced last year, with the WWE brand’s flagship “Raw” show moving to Netflix at the end of the year and “NXT,” their show for showcasing newer talent from their developmental program, moves from USA to the CW at the end of September. The NXT move keeps WWE’s foothold in broadcast television despite “SmackDown” exiting Fox, albeit on a weaker network and with one of their lower profile brands.
“The media deals have turned out great and that’s because you’re putting together best-in-class people,” TKO president and COO Mark Shapiro said Wednesday at Goldman Sachs Communacopia 2024, discussing its existing deals as well as upcoming negotiations for its UFC mixed martial arts brand. Shapiro praised TKO CEO, superagent Ari Emanuel, as well as WWE president Nick Khan, who’ve been leaders on getting the brands’ respective deals negotiated.
The rights deal that brought the “SmackDown” move to NBCUniversal’s USA Network also includes four primetime specials on NBC in the 2024-25 season, which will continue into the future years of the deal. Stars touted in the initial announcement last year included part-time wrestler-turned actor John Cena, who’s set to return to WWE for a retirement tour running through calendar year 2025. One of the company’s other top stars, Roman Reigns, recently returned from a post-WrestleMania hiatus to “SmackDown” and is set to be part of the show’s top storylines heading into next year.
NBCUniversal’s Peacock remains the home to WWE’s premium live events, often featuring the culmination of notable storyline feuds from its weekly shows, though that deal is set to expire in 2026. Netflix’s deal already includes those premium events internationally, with the streamer expected to be the next home for those events domestically at the conclusion of its current deal.
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