WWE SmackDown Scores Best Audience In Months For Throwback Episode

Friday's live special Throwback edition of WWE SmackDown, a retro theme with a big 10-man main event, drew an average of 2.282 million viewers on FOX, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This final number is up from the overnight viewership that was released on Saturday morning, which was an average of 2.157 million viewers. This number is also up from last week's final SmackDown viewership of 2.018 million viewers for the episode with the big Career vs. Title main event.

Friday's SmackDown drew a 0.65 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, a 0.76 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.43 rating in the 18-34 demographic. Last week's SmackDown drew a 0.49 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, a 0.64 rating in the 25-54 demo, and a 0.30 rating in the 18-34 demographic.

SmackDown ranked #1 in ratings for the key 18-49 demographic on network TV. SmackDown also ranked #1 in the 18-34 demo this week, for the third week in a row. The show ranked #3 in the 25-54 demo, behind Shark Tank's 0.85 rating and Blue Bloods' 0.78 rating. SmackDown came in at #8 for the night in viewership on network TV. Blue Bloods on CBS topped the night on network TV in viewership this week with 5.869 million viewers.

This week's SmackDown viewership was up 13.1% from last week, while the key demo rating was up 32.7% from last week. This was the best SmackDown audience since the Royal Rumble go-home show on January 29. It was tied with the post-Royal Rumble episode as the second-best key demo rating of the year, behind the January 15 show.

This week's SmackDown viewership was up 12.7% from the same week in 2020, while the 18-49 key demo rating was up 30% from the same week in 2020, which aired from the WWE Performance Center with no fans.

The NBA game between the Lakers and the Trailblazers on ESPN at 10pm topped the night on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.39 rating in the 18-49 key demo, drawing just 1.174 million viewers. Tucker Carlson Tonight on FOX News topped the night in cable viewership with 2.663 million viewers, ranking #9 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.15 rating in the key demo.

Below is our 2021 SmackDown Viewership Tracker, along with the Top 10 moments from Friday's show:

January 1 Episode: 2.013 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the 18-49 demographic (New Year's episode)
January 8 Episode: 2.120 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 15 Episode: 2.262 million viewers with a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 22 Episode: 2.383 million viewers with a 0.63 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 29 Episode: 2.304 million viewers with a 0.62 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 5 Episode: 2.257 million viewers with a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 12 Episode: 1.990 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 19 Episode: 2.217 million viewers with a 0.59 rating in the 18-49 demographic
February 26 Episode: 2.145 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
March 5 Episode: 2.252 million viewers with a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 12 Episode: 2.171 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 19 Episode: 2.093 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
March 26 Episode: 2.191 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-Fastlane episode)
April 2 Episode: 2.137 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 9 Episode: 2.250 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 16 Episode: 2.119 million viewers with a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demographic (post-WrestleMania 37 episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.121 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the 18-49 demographic
April 30 Episode: 2.018 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the 18-49 demographic
May 7 Episode: 2.282 million viewers with a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Throwback episode)
May 14 Episode:

2020 Total: 113.372 million viewers
2020 Average: 2.180 million viewers per episode (2 FS1 airings)

2019 Total: 112.530 million viewers
2019 Average: 2.164 million viewers per episode (1 FS1 airing)

2018 Total: 122.304 million viewers
2018 Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode

2017 Total: 132.401 million viewers
2017 Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode