SmackDown finishes behind the NHL, highest 18-49 audience since April

Originally published at SmackDown finishes behind the NHL, highest 18-49 audience since April

Friday Night SmackDown steered clear of NBA competition this past weekend and finished first among network programming.

The June 3rd edition of the show leading into Hell in a Cell averaged 1,939,000 viewers and approximately 613,000 viewers (0.47) in the 18-49 demographic, per Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics and Showbuzz Daily.

WWE Smackdown, Friday on Fox:
1,939,000 viewers
P18-49: 0.47 (613,000)

AEW Rampage, Friday on TNT at 10pm:
475,000 viewers
P18-49: 0.14 (183,000)

📊 https://t.co/1SscdBCpr8 pic.twitter.com/kwuxyjj5nJ

— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) June 6, 2022

SmackDown increased three percent in its overall viewership while it experienced nine percent growth in its 18-49 audience, which was its highest since April 22nd.

This week`s episode avoided the NBA Finals but did air against the NHL conference final game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers, which topped everything on television with 2,324,000 viewers and 0.74 in 18-48 on ESPN.

SmackDown also saw a 30 percent jump in its adult 18-34 audience.

The show was highlighted by The Usos defending the Undisputed Tag Team Championships against Riddle & Shinsuke Nakamura and a Six-Pack Challenge for a future title shot against Ronda Rousey.

In Canada, the show did not finish among the top ten sports programs with an average viewership of 99,000 viewers. It was a packed night with the NHL playoffs, a Toronto Blue Jays game, and the return of the CFL.