WWE SmackDown Ratings: Numbers Drop During Holiday Weekend

The overnight WWE SmackDown ratings and viewership figures are in, and this week's broadcast saw a dip in numbers during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. According to the numbers published to Showbuzz Daily, SmackDown drew an average of 1.987 million viewers. This comes from a first hour that drew 2.016 million viewers and a second hour that did 1.957 million. Final figures will be out on Tuesday, at which time we'd expect the numbers to increase slightly. However, they're sure to come in lower than last week's show.

Last week's SmackDown did 2.326 million viewers. While a decrease is to be expected, especially with virtually nothing announced ahead of time for the show, it shows a shift in the wrestling industry over the years as Thanksgiving used to be a big night in the business. It's when Starrcade and the Survivor Series used to air.

SmackDown's 1.957 million viewers ranked 10th place in viewership across network competition on Friday night. The show was outdrawn by Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, 20/20, Frosty the Snowman, Frosty Returns, CBS News Sunday Morning, Blue Bloods, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Minions Holiday Special, and Dateline NBC.

In the coveted 18-49 age group ratings demographic, SmackDown did a 0.55 rating. This was third place among network competition. Last week's show did a 0.70 in this demo. The final demo rating will be out on Tuesday as well.

As the number stands right now, this is the lowest viewership for SmackDown on FOX-proper since July and lowest 18-49 rating since September 18th. The October 23rd edition of the show that aired on FS1 due to the World Series drew smaller numbers. Again, the Thanksgiving holiday certainly played a role in this week's drop, though the lack of advertised segments didn't help matters for sure.

What did you think of this week's SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below! Additionally, you can give me a follow on Twitter @ryandroste for all things WWE and AEW.