Why Did SmackDown! move to Friday Night?

[CKguy217]

It's been a few years, I want to say about seven or so since SmackDown! moved from Thursday to Friday nights. I cannot remember why WWE did this. Does anyone remember?

Does SmackDown! actually get higher ratings on Friday night? I used to watch SmackDown! every Thursday, but when it moved to Friday night, I stopped. No offense meant to anyone, but watching wrestling on a Friday night is not my idea of a great weekend evening. I'd rather be out hanging with friends.

Anyways, what if WWE moved SmackDown! back to Thursday nights, but still keep it on the SciFi network. That would probably help WWE shut down TNA before TNA becomes a real threat...

 

[mikead]

I don't really care about the night, the ratings are going to be poor whether its Thursday or Friday. My concern has been (since SD moved to Syfy) that there is no show on regular TV. Smackdown was always that show (UPN, CW or whatever its called) that any fans could watch regardless of having cable/satellite). I think its smart to have one piece of your product that is available to all fans.

 

[CKguy217]

Mikead -
Yea, I agree, WWE should have either kept SmackDown! or another product on the regular television line up instead of moving it to Cable/Satellite. I am sure they lost many viewers. I'm not exactly sure why WWE is on a channel like SciFi anyways.

For several years (about 15 years) my family did not have cable tv (we could afford it, it's just that my parents didn't want us sitting in front of the tv all day).

I wonder about families like that, or just can't afford a $30/mo. cable/satellite bill. Maybe the reason WWE did it is because they want people to buy their PPV shows. People with an antenna can't buy PPVs, so what's the point of supplying them with a free show?

 

[MoizH28]

I wish it could be moved to Tuesdays but that isnt happening. I always DVR it on fridays and I hate watching it the next day because the main event always gets spoiled.

 

[Mr. HD]

It's been a few years, I want to say about seven or so since SmackDown! moved from Thursday to Friday nights. I cannot remember why WWE did this. Does anyone remember?

Does SmackDown! actually get higher ratings on Friday night? I used to watch SmackDown! every Thursday, but when it moved to Friday night, I stopped. No offense meant to anyone, but watching wrestling on a Friday night is not my idea of a great weekend evening. I'd rather be out hanging with friends.

Anyways, what if WWE moved SmackDown! back to Thursday nights, but still keep it on the SciFi network. That would probably help WWE shut down TNA before TNA becomes a real threat...

I remember reading they thought it would get higher ratings on Fridays. You know, the day when most people go out?

They should've kept it on Thursdays to compete with TNA and move it back to CW. I don't think people with Cable even have Syfy. I don't even think I have it!

 

[thegreekhero]

I think moving it to Friday's isnt really a problem. Since WWE is now pg, it's a show that 7 year olds can stay up past their bedtime to watch. And TNA becoming a threat to WWE? Vince McMahon shits on TNA. I don't think TNA will ever be a huge problem to WWE.

And I don't think making Tuesday Night Smackdown LIVE would be a good idea, either.
We have RAW on Monday, SMACKDOWN on Tuesday, and then the rest of the week we have nothing but TNA, which IMO is just a substitute for when WWE isn't on.

So SmackDown moving to Friday's IMO isn't a problem.

 

[Vincent Michaels]

I personally love SmackDown! on Friday nights. The first episode of SmackDown! I ever watched was when it debuted on Friday night(to answer the OPs question, it was September of 06). It probably moved to Fridays because of iMPACT! moving to Thursdays, and while they wouldn't be a problem today Vince probably did it as a precaution just in case back then.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

It's been a few years, I want to say about seven or so since SmackDown! moved from Thursday to Friday nights. I cannot remember why WWE did this. Does anyone remember?

Does SmackDown! actually get higher ratings on Friday night? I used to watch SmackDown! every Thursday, but when it moved to Friday night, I stopped. No offense meant to anyone, but watching wrestling on a Friday night is not my idea of a great weekend evening. I'd rather be out hanging with friends.

Anyways, what if WWE moved SmackDown! back to Thursday nights, but still keep it on the SciFi network. That would probably help WWE shut down TNA before TNA becomes a real threat...

A real threat huh? A company that constantly always rely on booking old stars that while may garner a few fans and boost the rating for 1 to 2 weeks until the watchers realize that its just the same corn fed old shit over and over again.

When did Tna ever have the mindset that they will become a threat to the WWE. Here is a fact, the WWE constantly signs new younger talent, while Tna scoops up the broken down old men that the WWE has put to rest. They might have that name that carried them in WWE, ECW, WCW or whatever. But their days of glory are long since gone, until the Tna management can get a good balance of new stars and old stars they will never become a giant threat to Smackdown! Or Raw.

Vince doesn’t care in my eyes, when the "Monday night wars" started up again did you see him backpedaling to get large stars like Tna did? No, he could give two honest fucks about Tna, because really they are taking 0 dollars out of his pocket.

Really back on topic, I couldn't answer your question. Maybe it was a matter of money, but really the ratings haven't dropped that much from it's days on Thursdays. Maybe Vince thought he could get the partying demographic that stays home and drinks a few beers to get into the show. People want something to watch if they stay home, why not let it be Smackdown?

Money could also be an issue, maybe he was getting less on Thursdays due to a lack of big paying company willing to shell out for Thursdays. Friday is the more popular day in everyone’s eyes, more people that don't have to work, and more people to stay up and watch.

 

[nwocongo]

My guess would be a mix of two things already mentioned, TNA on Thursday nights(why get half the wrestling audience when you could have 100%) and going into a PG direction with the show. Personally I don't think I've seen a broadcast of SD since they moved to Friday since I'm usually working nights or killing brain cells somewhere, sometimes I'll catch it the next day if anyone recorded it. More kids will be able to stay up til 10 to watch it on a Friday and there are probably still alot of adult fans watching, some people have responsibilities,wives and kids and can't go out like they used to, or maybe have to work early on Saturdays. Anyway I don't think the show would be much different rating wise if it was still on Thursdays.

 

[The Brain]

SmackDown moved to Friday in September 2005. It had nothing to do with TNA as they were not on Thursday yet. They were only three years old and not anywhere close to being a threat to WWE. They're still not a threat but were ten times less significant back then. I highly doubt WWE wanted to move SmackDown to Friday. Remember they were switching to a new network. They left UPN and moved to the CW. My guess is CW wanted them on Friday. They probably had an already established Thursday night lineup and were not willing to change that for wrestling. I'm sure if given the choice WWE would have kept SmackDown on Thursday.

 

[nwocongo]

Remember they were switching to a new network. They left UPN and moved to the CW. My guess is CW wanted them on Friday. They probably had an already established Thursday night lineup and were not willing to change that for wrestling. I'm sure if given the choice WWE would have kept SmackDown on Thursday.

Yea that makes sense, I forgot about them switching to CW, I always got those channels like UPN, CW, WB etc mixed together cuz they all had the same garbage set of syndicated shows you could see on 3 or 4 other channels. You think CW's little tiff with some of the cable companies about jackin up the cost of the channel had anything to do with WWE heading to SYFy?