WWE touted viewership numbers for its weekly television shows in the following press release:
WWE® SMACKDOWN, RAW & NXT SCORE VIEWERSHIP GAINS IN KEY 18-49 ADVERTISING DEMO AHEAD OF WRESTLEMANIA XL
STAMFORD, Conn., April 1, 2024 – WWE’s flagship weekly programming, SmackDown, Raw and NXT, continues to deliver viewership gains among the key P18-49 advertising demo ahead of WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.
Friday Night SmackDown on FOX
- In Q1 2024, SmackDown is averaging 892K total viewers among P18-49, up 15 percent versus the year prior.
- SmackDown has ranked No. 1 among P18-49 audiences across all total day Friday broadcasts for 11 of the first 12 weeks of the quarter.
- Feb. 16 episode of SmackDown scored 985K viewers among P18-49, making it the most-viewed broadcast program in primetime for the entire week of Feb. 12.
Monday Night Raw on USA Network
- In Q1 2024, Raw averaged 733K total viewers among P18-49, up six percent versus the year prior.
- Raw ranked No. 1 among P18-49 audiences on Monday cable for nine of the 13 weeks of the quarter.
- The unexpected return of Pat McAfee to the commentator table during the Jan. 29 episode delivered 811K total viewers among P18-49 – up 13 percent versus the week prior – and easily ranked No. 1 on cable.
NXT on USA Network
- In Q1 2024, NXT was up 31 percent among P18-49 versus the year prior.
“These ratings are a testament to our creative team, production crew and all of the WWE Superstars that work together week in and week out to produce these impressive results,” said WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
All three shows are headed to new platforms in the U.S. over the next year. In October 2024, SmackDown will move to USA Network and NXT will make its broadcast debut on CW. In January 2025, Raw will make its groundbreaking debut on Netflix.
WrestleMania XL is available to stream in the U.S. exclusively on Peacock.
About WWE
WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), is an integrated media organization and the recognized global leader in sports entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, premium live events, digital media, and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all premium live events, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. Additional information on WWE can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
WWE Television Shows Experience Viewership Gains Ahead of WrestleMania XL
In a recent press release, WWE announced that its flagship weekly television shows, SmackDown, Raw, and NXT, have seen an increase in viewership among the key 18-49 advertising demographic. These gains come just in time for WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania XL, which is set to take place in Philadelphia on April 6th and 7th.
SmackDown, which airs on FOX, has been averaging 892K total viewers among the 18-49 demographic in the first quarter of 2024. This represents a 15 percent increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, SmackDown has consistently ranked as the number one program among the 18-49 demographic for 11 out of the first 12 weeks of the quarter. The February 16th episode of SmackDown was particularly successful, attracting 985K viewers among the 18-49 demographic and becoming the most-viewed broadcast program in primetime for the entire week of February 12th.
Raw, which airs on the USA Network, has also seen a rise in viewership. In the first quarter of 2024, Raw averaged 733K total viewers among the 18-49 demographic, marking a six percent increase compared to the previous year. Raw has consistently ranked as the number one program among the 18-49 demographic on Monday cable for nine out of the 13 weeks of the quarter. The return of Pat McAfee to the commentator table during the January 29th episode was a significant highlight, attracting 811K total viewers among the 18-49 demographic and easily ranking as the top program on cable.
NXT, which also airs on the USA Network, experienced a substantial increase of 31 percent among the 18-49 demographic compared to the previous year.
WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque credited the impressive ratings to the creative team, production crew, and WWE Superstars who work tirelessly to produce these results week after week.
In addition to the viewership gains, WWE’s television shows will be heading to new platforms in the United States over the next year. SmackDown will move to the USA Network in October 2024, while NXT will make its broadcast debut on CW. In January 2025, Raw will make its groundbreaking debut on Netflix.
As for WrestleMania XL, fans in the United States can exclusively stream the event on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
WWE, a part of TKO Group Holdings, is a globally recognized leader in sports entertainment. The company delivers original content 52 weeks a year to a worldwide audience through various platforms, including television programming, live events, digital media, and publishing. WWE is committed to providing family-friendly entertainment and reaches over 1 billion homes worldwide in 25 languages through distribution partners such as NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, TNT Sport, Sony India, and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network offers premium live events, scheduled programming, and a vast video-on-demand library and is available in approximately 165 countries. In the United States, Peacock serves as the exclusive home to WWE Network.
For more information about WWE, visit wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.