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With the announcement of WWE signing a deal with FOX to air SmackDown, which begins in October of 2019, there are many questions left to be answered, such as what day will SmackDown air, rumors say it will be Friday, but nothing is confirmed. Also, will it be live or tape-delayed like it was before the move to USA Network? And will major stars move to SmackDown like Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar to make it the "A Show". With these questions, it makes one wonder if moving to FOX is as good of an idea as it seems now?
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If SmackDown does move back to Friday nights, whether it is live or tape-delayed, it is the worst possible outcome. Friday nights have often been referred to as the "death spot" for television shows. This being that most people, especially in the 18-34 age demographic, like to go out and have fun on Friday night's with their friends, family, or significant other, and often don't care about television that night.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday nights, it's the beginning of the work week, so most people are home and relaxing at the time SmackDown comes on and as a result, are more likely to tune in. While SmackDown won't set any record ratings on Tuesday nights on FOX, they will be in much better shape airing on Tuesdays compared to Friday night.
The other major factor in determining whether or not the move to FOX will be a success will be dependent on if Smackdown will remain live or go back to tape-delay. One of the major reasons why the move to Tuesday revitalized SmackDown was that it became a live broadcast.
With the advancements in technology and the internet, dirt sheets became more prevalent, which lead to spoilers of what happened at SmackDown tapings being leaked. With spoilers, viewers can decide whether or not they want to tune in or not since they know what will happen.
When Smackdown became live back in 2016, this ended spoilers, and as a result, it made viewers tune in because they have no idea about what is going to happen. If SmackDown moves back to Fridays and is on tape-delay, fans will be tempted to look up spoilers to see what happens, and depending on the results, it may make them less likely to tune in to see it unfold with their own eyes. I can't speak for everyone, but I know if I read spoilers and I see something I don't like or find bad, it makes me less likely to tune in.
While the move to FOX's main channel is not a bad thing, and can actually be a great thing, there are still questions that need to be answered and the answers to these questions will determine if the FOX contract is a success or not and if SmackDown will become the "A Show".
