One of the biggest reasons ratings for Smackdown is fairly weak(But still good by SyFy network standards) is because ANYONE can read on-line spoilers and of course the elephant in the room is it's the B show. I think the Supershow is a decent idea, but it should be limited to once in a blue moon so it means something more when they do it like the week before one of the core 4 PPV's. I just feel doing it every week kills the significance of 'supershows' when they were doing fair without it.
Smackdown Should Go Live Every Tuesday?
- Thread starter justin71
- Start date
ThinkinSmart
Dark Match Winner
I think the number one reason that smackdown is weak is not because you are able to read the results, but because it's a friday show. People do stuff on fridays and not many are staying in to watch smackdown at 8 at night. The friday night slot is, in my opinion, what is killing smackdown. People don't tune in friday so they aren't up to date on what story lines are going on so they aren't going to buy tickets to the smackdown shows. The supershow was a good idea because it showcases smackdown tallent on the show people are tuning into so they can sell more tickets for smackdown shows but it doesn't do enough. I think smackdown moving to tuesdays is a very smart idea, not because of the live aspect, but because its a night when people are typically at home watching tv at 8 pm already and can readily toon in as opposed to the current system. I know I have not watched a smackdown live since they moved to fridays as on fridays I typically am out doing something to start my weekend.
closet_fan
Mid-Card Championship Winner
I'd rather a Thursday instead of back-to-back nights.
I agree with you about the Fridays. Hell instead of having it live, still have it taped on Tuesdays, but played on Thursday instead.
I agree with you about the Fridays. Hell instead of having it live, still have it taped on Tuesdays, but played on Thursday instead.
I'd either want them to go live on Thursdays or recorded on Tuesday and played on Thursday. Thursday just works so much better than Raw one day and Smackdown the next day. That leaves nothing but NXT and Superstars until a PPV or the next Raw. Maybe even move Superstars to Saturday or Sunday and NXT live on Tuesdays.
Live Is the way to go no matter what day it is if its prerecorded they will not get the viewers they would if its Live. Personally I don't care what day of the week Smackdown is on as long as its Live
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
SmackDown! will not be going live on Tuesdays because there's been no reason for it. Part of the reason WWE initially started doing the live Tuesday specials was to test the water and see if the live shows drew better on Tuesdays than taped on Fridays.
With the exception of the first live airing of SD!, none of the other live episodes have outdrawn what the blue brand usually does on Fridays. The last SD! special bombed in the ratings, drawing only about 2.4 million viewers, whereas SD! this past Friday drew right around 3 million. Since this past summer, with the exception of right around Fridays close to the holidays, SmackDown! has consistently drawn 3 to 3.2 million viewers on Friday nights. What that means, in a nutshell, is that it's cheaper to keep SD! taped on Fridays where they consistently have strong viewership. Also, SD! is easily the most watched show on Syfy and has been since it debuted on the network. That gives WWE leverage when times come for new deal negotiations with NBC Universal or if WWE wants to develop a new show or brand to put on another network under the NBC Universal umbrella. Again, just another reason for WWE to keep the blue brand taped and on Fridays for the time being.
When you look at the ratings on Friday nights, the only shows that give SD! competition in terms of viewers are Gold Rush on the Discovery Channel, the popular family friendly line up on the Disney Channel and TBS' airings of The Big Bang Theory. If WWE moved to Tuesdays, they'd have to contend with big drawing shows like Storage Wars and, in the fall, shows like Sons of Anarchy and some others that could bite into their audience.
I agree that Friday night is a weak night on television, comparatively speaking, as more people statistically go out on Friday than any other night. But moving SD! at this time makes no sense. They're drawing more viewers for SD! now than they have been in several years, the show is consistently among the most viewed shows on the day it airs, it outdraws roughly double the viewers of TNA Impact Wrestling, etc. I enjoy SD! a lot most of the time, but the WWE has always generally treated Raw as the "A show" and it's noticable. If they put SD! on equal footing in terms of promotion and general hype, then maybe it could draw more and could result in a move later on down the line.
With the exception of the first live airing of SD!, none of the other live episodes have outdrawn what the blue brand usually does on Fridays. The last SD! special bombed in the ratings, drawing only about 2.4 million viewers, whereas SD! this past Friday drew right around 3 million. Since this past summer, with the exception of right around Fridays close to the holidays, SmackDown! has consistently drawn 3 to 3.2 million viewers on Friday nights. What that means, in a nutshell, is that it's cheaper to keep SD! taped on Fridays where they consistently have strong viewership. Also, SD! is easily the most watched show on Syfy and has been since it debuted on the network. That gives WWE leverage when times come for new deal negotiations with NBC Universal or if WWE wants to develop a new show or brand to put on another network under the NBC Universal umbrella. Again, just another reason for WWE to keep the blue brand taped and on Fridays for the time being.
When you look at the ratings on Friday nights, the only shows that give SD! competition in terms of viewers are Gold Rush on the Discovery Channel, the popular family friendly line up on the Disney Channel and TBS' airings of The Big Bang Theory. If WWE moved to Tuesdays, they'd have to contend with big drawing shows like Storage Wars and, in the fall, shows like Sons of Anarchy and some others that could bite into their audience.
I agree that Friday night is a weak night on television, comparatively speaking, as more people statistically go out on Friday than any other night. But moving SD! at this time makes no sense. They're drawing more viewers for SD! now than they have been in several years, the show is consistently among the most viewed shows on the day it airs, it outdraws roughly double the viewers of TNA Impact Wrestling, etc. I enjoy SD! a lot most of the time, but the WWE has always generally treated Raw as the "A show" and it's noticable. If they put SD! on equal footing in terms of promotion and general hype, then maybe it could draw more and could result in a move later on down the line.
xoxo French Kiss xoxo
Pourquoi?
Here's the short answer, NO
The reasons, well hell Jack-Hammer pointed most of them out, and the main one was because there's absolutely no reason for it.
Don't get me wrong, Live Smackdown's are nice, but it wont work every week, there's so much other shit on on Tuesdays, and they are doing just fine on Friday's taped that people still tune and watch the show.
The WWE is doing just fine having Raw on Mondays, taping Smackdown on Tuesdays, and beating TNA and ROH at every turn without trying. Why would try change that at this point when the formula they have now, works just fine?
The reasons, well hell Jack-Hammer pointed most of them out, and the main one was because there's absolutely no reason for it.
Don't get me wrong, Live Smackdown's are nice, but it wont work every week, there's so much other shit on on Tuesdays, and they are doing just fine on Friday's taped that people still tune and watch the show.
The WWE is doing just fine having Raw on Mondays, taping Smackdown on Tuesdays, and beating TNA and ROH at every turn without trying. Why would try change that at this point when the formula they have now, works just fine?
Cvaldezjr04
Occasional Pre-Show
Not that I particularly care, but, going with this idea would put TNA iMPACT Wrestling out of business in a heartbeat....
But I see your point, Thursdays is definitely better than Fridays, as one of the above posters stated, nobody is home friday nights to watch wrestling. But i definitely agree that SmackDown! would benefit from going live full time. Wednesday night maybe???
xoxo French Kiss xoxo
Pourquoi?
Not that I particularly care, but, going with this idea would put TNA iMPACT Wrestling out of business in a heartbeat....
But I see your point, Thursdays is definitely better than Fridays, as one of the above posters stated, nobody is home friday nights to watch wrestling. But i definitely agree that SmackDown! would benefit from going live full time. Wednesday night maybe???
Kids are home on Fridays, kids parents are home on Fridays... so ummm... what the fuck are you talking about?
Smackdown is FINE on Fridays, there is absolutely no reason to move it
Richard Blonoff
Make America Rassle Again
While I have had to choose between a big Smackdown and Friday night plans I typically don't mind it on Friday. Sometimes I miss it being on a Thursday but as I said I generally don't mind.
There is also less competition on Fridays. Thursday night has a lot of comedy sitcoms on and Tuesday has a lot of reality shows like American Idol it would have to compete with. I'm not too sure about Wednesday, I think the crime dramas like CSI and Criminal Minds are typically on those nights.
There is also less competition on Fridays. Thursday night has a lot of comedy sitcoms on and Tuesday has a lot of reality shows like American Idol it would have to compete with. I'm not too sure about Wednesday, I think the crime dramas like CSI and Criminal Minds are typically on those nights.
TWJC: The Beginning
Royal Rumble Winner
Great idea dude. Let's just not look at the cost of having the live crew on the road another day, not account for the fact that you can't just change days whenever you want, that it takes time, not account for the fact that there are probably ad slot contracts, not account for any of that.
Thursdays don't work being it's too expensive to keep a live crew on the road that much. There is probably a reason why Tuesdays are out too. WWE isn't ran by idiots despite what the morons on here think. It's a huge company ran by people who understand business better than anyone on here.
Pro wrestling is a business and always has been. Smackdown, believe it or not, doesn't get low ratings. It's ScyFy's golden goose. You have to look at CONTEXT. You can't just say "well 10 years ago ratings were X on a different channel, timeslot, and competitive environment".
Thursdays don't work being it's too expensive to keep a live crew on the road that much. There is probably a reason why Tuesdays are out too. WWE isn't ran by idiots despite what the morons on here think. It's a huge company ran by people who understand business better than anyone on here.
Pro wrestling is a business and always has been. Smackdown, believe it or not, doesn't get low ratings. It's ScyFy's golden goose. You have to look at CONTEXT. You can't just say "well 10 years ago ratings were X on a different channel, timeslot, and competitive environment".