What’s the story?
The latest episode of SmackDown Live, which will be followed by the brand-exclusive Backlash PPV this Sunday, has reportedly garnered the lowest ratings of the calendar year 2017.
In case you didn’t know...
Both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown LIVE see a significant drop in viewership during the post-Wrestlemania season every year.
Nevertheless, this year’s ratings for both brands have shown a topsy-turvy trend week-by-week thus far, with momentary spikes followed by an extremely steep drop.
The heart of the matter
This past Tuesday night gave fans the last episode of SD Live to be broadcast before Backlash 2017, and if one is to go by the numbers, the WWE’s go-home show for the blue brand’s upcoming pay-per-view hasn’t gone as well as the company would’ve hoped. Here are the statistics for SmackDown Live viewership this calendar year:
January 3, 2017 - 2,596,000 viewersJanuary 10, 2017 - 2,533,000 viewersJanuary 17, 2017 - 2,652,000 viewersJanuary 24, 2017 - 2,556,000 viewersJanuary 31, 2017 - 2,817,000 viewersFebruary 7, 2017 - 2,627,000 viewersFebruary 14, 2017 - 2,626,000 viewersFebruary 22, 2017 - 2,792,000 viewersFebruary 28, 2017 - 2,566,000 viewersMarch 7, 2017 - 2,738,000 viewersMarch 14, 2017 - 2,628,000 viewersMarch 21, 2017 - 2,647,000 viewersMarch 28, 2017 - 2,698,000 viewersApril 4, 2017 - 2,885,000 viewers (Post-WrestleMania)April 11, 2017 - 3,105,000 viewers (Superstar Shake-Up)April 18, 2017 - 2,544,000 viewersApril 25, 2017 - 2,493,000 viewersMay 2, 2017 - 2,300,000 viewersMay 9, 2017 - 2,348,000 viewers (London edition)May 16, 2017 - 2,175,000 viewers
This week’s episode of SmackDown Live (5/16/17) was headlined by a singles match between WWE Champion Randy Orton and ‘The Lone Wolf’ Baron Corbin. The show ended with number-1 contender Jinder Mahal attacking Orton after the match.
Also read: Evaluating Shinsuke Nakamura’s main event potential heading into WWE Backlash 2017
What’s next?
The SmackDown brand-exclusive Backlash PPV will take place on Sunday, May 21st at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, and will be headlined by the WWE Championship matchup between Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal.
The next episode of SD Live will air on May 23rd from the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
Author’s take
Alright, I have to confess that the numbers aren’t all that surprising, so to speak.
The post-Mania season every year will see a lull in the ratings, but given the fact that the WWE is actively trying to develop new talent and continually revamp its product, the numbers are sure to pick up over the course of the next few months.
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