WWE's struggles with ratings have become quite apparent now. One of the reasons for the brand extension was to make SmackDown Live a must watch show. With the evolution of the internet, SmackDown was earlier held back due to spoilers.
Making it a Live show countered that, but it still did not do much for its ratings. Even though SmackDown Live has managed to beat its elder sibling regarding viewership, it experienced an all-time low in TV ratings on the night of Presidential elections.
However, sources such as Forbes have reported, that the Undertaker’s return to SmackDown Live has bolstered the show's ratings.
The 900th Episode which marked a return for the Deadman and Rated R Superstar Edge helped SmackDown Live achieve an impressive feat in terms of viewership. According to Showbuzz Daily, the Blue Brand delivered 0.95 ratings in the 18-49 demographic, with an aggregate of 2.75 million spectators.
It is a huge upgrade from 0.56 ratings in the same demographic with a viewership of 1.921 million, that was recorded on the night of the Presidential election.
While the drop in ratings on the evening of Presidential elections, was a no-brainer, SmackDown Live’s monumental night, did boost ratings when compared to their previous episodes. Two weeks ago, SmackDown Live recorded ratings of 0.67, in that demographic, with only a viewership of 2.187 million in total.
The fact that it was indeed the presence of The Phenom that boosted the viewership has become very apparent.
The Undertaker is back to digging holes and taking souls. Watch the video in which he addresses Team Blue!
It was The Blue Brand’s second biggest episode, after going Live on July 19th, 2016 and their highest ever recorded ratings, came on the 26th July show. SmackDown scored a rating of 0.97 and also a viewership on 2.763 million on that night.
WWE promoted the 900th episode of SmackDown brilliantly, with #SDLive900 trending worldwide. It was reported by Forbes, that up to 40,000 tweets surfaced every hour with that particular hashtag. Forbes also reported that #Undertaker also trended with around 6,000 tweets every hour.
Much to the delight of the WWE Universe, Undertaker announced that his return was not just a one-time deal. He is no longer just a Wrestlemania treat but is back ‘digging holes and stealing souls’.
Check out the reunion of the Brothers of Destruction, after the curtains fell on SD Live!
The sense of nostalgia will certainly bring a lot of viewership to SmackDown. With John Cena taking a reduced role, the Deadman can become the top most attraction of the blue brand as casual fans will come hopping back to witness The Phenom.
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