Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/08/22/thunderdome-leads-to-a-boost-in-smackdowns-overnight-audience/
The launch of WWE’s ThunderDome structure at the Amway Center in Orlando led to a boost in Friday Night SmackDown’s overnight audience on Fox.
The show as focused around the debut of the ThunderDome along with the advertisements of an Intercontinental title match and Vince McMahon’s first appearance on WWE programming since April.
On the overnight figures, SmackDown averaged 2,168,000 viewers with the final number to be released later in the week reflecting all the markets. This would be SmackDown’s highest audience since June 26th, which featured a significant portion of the show dedicated to a tribute for The Undertaker.
The show also averaged a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and a 0.35 in the 18-34 demo, which were both the top figures among Friday’s network programming.