Friday Night SmackDown featured a taped edition of the show, maintaining its 18-49 audience from the week prior.
The December 22 episode, which was taped the previous week in Green Bay, averaged 2,108,000 viewers and 727,000 (0.55) in the 18-49 demographic – a drop of 6% in viewership and a 1% increase in the demo audience from the prior week, per Wrestlenomics.
The show posted a two-week in its 18-49 audience, which included a 5% increase with males averaging 501,000 for the show while females in the key demo were down by 6% to 226,000.
Adults 18-34 fell by 11% to 247,000 due to males declining from 192,000 to 162,000 this week while women were even from the week prior.
Adults 35-49 increased from 444,000 to 480,000 with males increasing by 18% this week and women dropping by 10%. It was SmackDown’s largest male audience in the demo since November 17, which is remarkable for a week where the show was taped.
The show included AJ Styles’ first match since returning when he faced Solo Sikoa in the main event.
Canadian viewership figures are delayed due to the holidays, but we should receive them later this week.
AEW Rampage also had a strong night with 363,000 viewers and 134,000 (0.10) in the 18-49 demographic for its December 22 show.
The viewership average represented an 18% increase and Rampage’s largest audience since October 13.
The 18-49 audience was up by 25% from the previous week. Still, they had been coming off the show’s second lowest demo audience in the history of the show for a Rampage in its regular time slot, so while it’s good to be up, it was coming off a terrible number.
Males in the 18-49 demo were up from 83,000 to 92,000 or 11% while females grew from 24,000 to 42,000 this week for a 75% gain.
Adults 18-34 increased 73% from 30,000 to 52,000 and females in the demo averaged 24,000 viewers – its highest mark among women in the demo since October 13.
Adults 35-49 grew by 7% this week to 82,000 viewers.
Wrestlenomics reports that the peak quarter for viewership was the opening fifteen minutes with Orange Cassidy vs. Rocky Romero averaging 403,000 viewers while the peak in the 18-49 audience was for the main event between El Hijo del Vikingo and Black Taurus with 145,000 viewers.
