WWE SmackDown will be moving networks next week for the second time this year due to a major sporting event. Next week’s show conflicts with the PAC-12 Championship football game, forcing SmackDown to move to FS1, just like the show has during the past two World Series. Both times SmackDown has aired on FS1, it has resulted in a massive drop-off in viewership despite the company trying their best to get word out to their viewers.
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Next week’s SmackDown is the final WWE broadcast ahead of the TLC PPV event. Following SmackDown’s airing on FS1, there will be a one hour edition of Talking Smack that will also air on the network.
Next week’s episode of #SmackDown will air on FS1.
A graphic aired during tonight’s show advertising that. pic.twitter.com/Fib8zQtSJ3
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) December 12, 2020
The October 23rd edition of SmackDown that aired on FS1 drew 883,000 viewers, less than half of what the show normally draws. It did a 0.25 rating among 18-49 year olds, also less than half the typical number the show does. We’d expect more of the same next week.
One year earlier on October 29th, 2019, the only other time the show has been moved from FOX proper to FS1, SmackDown did 888,000 viewers and a 0.27 18-49 demographic rating.
