Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2022/01/24/friday-night-smackdown-finishes-with-best-18-49-figure-since-september/
Friday Night SmackDown reached its largest 18-49 audience since September as the Royal Rumble draws closer.
The January 21st edition of the show in Nashville averaged 2,255,000 viewers and approximately 836,000 (0.64) in the 18-49 demographic, per Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics and Showbuzz Daily.
It was the highest 18-49 audience for SmackDown since the September 10th episode from Madison Square Garden last year. It was SmackDown’s third-best number in the demo since the return of fans to the arenas last July.
SmackDown finished second in the demo among network programming behind ABC’s Shark Tank while SmackDown was first in 18-34. On cable, they went against the Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks that averaged 1,190,000 viewers and 0.40 in 18-49.
From last week, the show grew 4 percent in viewership and 14 percent in 18-49 including a 16.5 percent jump among women in the key demo.
In Canada, the show averaged 158,700 viewers and 87,800 in the 25-54 demographic on Sportsnet 360.
SmackDown featured appearances by Raw stars Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Big E. In the opening segment, a match was made with Rollins & Owens set to take on The Usos in the main event slot.