WWE SmackDown sees massive viewership drop ahead of New Year's day

NEW DELHI: With WWE SmackDown bidding farewell to 2023 with a best-of episode, fans tuned in to relive the memorable moments of the past year. However, the viewership numbers for the December 29th edition revealed a decline compared to the previous week.According to Wrestlenomics, the special year-end episode of SmackDown brought in an overnight average of 1.32 million viewers. While this figure showcases a dip from the previous week's average, it's important to note that the episode featured a compilation of highlights from throughout the year. The December 29th episode showcased notable events, including Logan Paul's United States Title win, offering fans a nostalgic journey through the standout moments of 2023. Despite the trip down memory lane, the viewership didn't see a significant boost, but it still outperformed recent FS1 episodes.In comparison, the December 15th episode of WWE SmackDown drew an overnight viewership of 2.154 million, with 667k in the crucial 18 to 49 demographic. The numbers showed a slight decrease from the previous week.The December 8th episode recorded 2.29 million viewers with a .57 in the 18 to 49 demographic, while the December 1st episode garnered an average of 1.952 million viewers and a .53 in the same demographic. The latter figure marked a substantial increase from the previous week's FS1 episode.In late November, the November 24th episode on FS1 drew 789,000 viewers with a .24 in the 18 to 49 demographic. Despite being on FS1 that week, the average remained lower than expected for the network.