‘WWE: Smackdown’ Wins Primetime Friday Ratings Battle
“WWE: Smackdown” once again battled its way to the top of Friday night’s primetime ratings. The Fox broadcast delivered the night’s best rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic with a 0.5 and 2.1 million total viewers overall.
But the live sporting event couldn’t beat ABC in terms of total viewers. Reruns of “Shark Tank” and “20/20” scored the most eyeballs across primetime, averaging about 2.7 million (and a 0.3 in the demo).
With the exception of wrestling on Fox, reruns aired on all the major broadcast networks during primetime on Friday, making for a generally ho-hum night.
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Here’s how the night broke down:
Fox was first in ratings with an average 0.5 rating in the key demo, while ABC was first in total viewers with an average of 2.7 million, according to official live plus same day Nielsen data.
ABC was second in ratings with an average 0.3 in the demo. A rerun of “Shark Tank” kicked things off with a 0.3 demo rating and 2.5 million total viewers at 8 p.m. At 9, an encore of “20/20” scored a 0.3 demo rating and 2.8 million total viewers.
CBS was second in total viewers with an average of 2.5 million. NBC and CBS tied for third in ratings with an average 0.2 in the demo, and Fox was third in total viewers with an average of 2.1 million. NBC was fourth in total viewers with an average of 1.6 million.
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It was a night of reairings on CBS as well, starting with “S.W.A.T.,” which aired to a 0.2 demo rating and 2.1 million total viewers at 8 p.m. At 9, “Magnum P.I.” secured a 0.2 demo rating and 2.6 million total viewers, while “Blue Bloods” drew a 0.2 demo rating and 2.9 million total viewers at 10.
On NBC, an encore of “American Ninja Warrior” took home a 0.2 demo rating and 1.4 million total viewers. At 9, a rerun of “Dateline” brought in a 0.2 demo rating and 1.8 million total viewers.
For Fox, “WWE Smackdown” dominated with a 0.5 demo rating and 2.1 million total viewers throughout primetime.
The CW was fifth in ratings with an average 0.1 in the demo and in total viewers with an average of 521,000. The network also opted for a slate of reruns, starting with “Penn & Teller Fool Us,” which got a 0.1 demo rating and 546,000 total viewers at 8 p.m. Back-to-back airings of “World’s Funniest Animals” took up the next hour. The first got a 0.1 demo rating and 447,000 total viewers from 9-9:30, and the second had a 0.1 demo rating and 543,000 total viewers from 9:30-10.
Neither The CW nor Fox air primetime programming at 10 p.m.
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Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision finished first with a 0.4 average demo rating and 1.2 million total average viewers. “Mexicana y El Guero” drew a 0.3 rating and 1.1 million total viewers at 8, followed by “La Herencia: Un Legado de Amor” (0.5, 1.5 million) at 9 p.m. and “Mujer de Nadie” (0.4, 1.1 million) at 10 p.m.
Telemundo was second in ratings with a 0.2 average key demo rating and 974,000 total average viewers. “Casa de Famosos” led the way from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. with a 0.3 demo rating and 1.1 million viewers. “Amor Valiente” followed from 9 p.m.-10 p.m. with a 0.2 rating and 828,000 total viewers. “Infiel: Historia de un Engaño” ended the night with a 0.2 demo rating and 882,000 total viewers at 10.
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