WWE News: WWE SmackDown Moving To Thursday Nights, Find Out Why
WWE has always tried to do things that benefit their audience, although many of us do not like to admit it. WWE does listen to us, and they do realize that we have a point from time to time. WWE’s second tier show, WWE SmackDown, has been a TV staple for almost 15 years now. It has been on various networks from UPN and The CW to MyNetwork TV and its current home, SyFy.
One thing that has remained constant was that WWE treated the show as its second best program, and RAW always had more love put into it. WWE has been on Friday night for some time with SmackDown, but what new fans may not know is that the show used to air religiously on Thursday Nights. This is seen as the second biggest night for television, and a night that WWE could rule again if they chose to move back.
It seems that since WWE moved to Friday Night, ratings were lower. Why would they not be? Before the advent of DVR and TiVo, WWE fans missed their weekly SmackDown show if they went out on a Friday night. Some reviewers noted that WWE felt it could not compete with big network shows on Thursday, and by moving to Friday, they could draw a bigger audience. Sadly, this was not the case.
WWE’s newest TV deal allowed them to change nights, and WWE is set to move to Thursday Night at some point this year. WWE trucks for SmackDown already have advertisements placed on them for the show’s new day as you can see below.
The show is still set to keep the same time slot, and it is simply just moving back a night. The show will be taped, although many do believe WWE will still do occasional live specials for SyFy since live shows often bring a major increase in ratings.
SmackDown is SyFy’s number one show and has been since it first aired on the network years ago. It has never dipped below a 2.0, which is helpful for WWE and SyFy.
The thing is, due to the way television works now, a move to Thursday has the potential to increase SmackDown’s ratings. That helps SyFy out for sweeps months and also allows them to compete on Thursday against other major shows. WWE has the ability to attract viewers, and due to most of the WWE audience being home on a Thursday as compared to Friday, ratings will go up and that means more advertising money over time.
Everyone wins with this SmackDown move. While it does seem that WWE was forced to move by their new TV deal with NBC Universal, this is a perfect idea for them. Now, let’s hope TNA’s Impact Wrestling moves to another night. Otherwise, their ratings are going to go down fast.
Of course, moving SmackDown to Thursday is also a slap in the face to TNA. Do not think that WWE or NBCU is not aware of TNA’s current problems or the fact that they have a show on Thursday that has been there for quite some time. Vince McMahon may have just driven the last nail into the TNA coffin.
[IMG Credits: Google, Robert L.]
