SmackDown returning to Thursdays

[The Jeff]

"Quite simply, more young men watch television on Thursday nights than on Fridays,” said Michael Engleman, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Digital and Global Brand Strategy, Syfy. “Among Men 18-49, PUTs (persons using television) are 15 percent higher compared to Fridays, expanding the potential audience for SmackDown. Since the majority of broadcast programming skews female, we're also using Thursday nights to counterprogram."

“WWE’s sizable and passionate fan base make SmackDown the #1 entertainment show on Syfy and the most-watched, regularly-scheduled program among key demographics on the network,” said Michelle Wilson, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, WWE. “We look forward to bringing the WWE audience to Thursday nights on Syfy.”

My question is, will you watch it? Me, no way

 

[BigGreen73]

well, I don't have SyFy so it doesn't matter to me. I watch via Hulu and I haven't watched a Smackdown in over 6 weeks now. Don't miss it at all WWE is just so bad right now.

I don't think it's a good move for Smackdown anyway. More people watch TV on Thursday. But there is much better programming on Thursdays that people will tune into before Smackdown.

 

[laodaron]

Yeah, the networks put actual new television on Thursday nights, but not on Friday nights. That's why it's so highly rated.

 

[kadroan]

Yeah, the networks put actual new television on Thursday nights, but not on Friday nights. That's why it's so highly rated.

Interesting. I know RAW competes with popular shows like Monday Night Football and Love and Hip Hop and get killed.

Since airing Smackdown live on Tuesday isn't an option, I wish they'd air Smackdown on Wednesday to compete with TNA. Probably the closest thing we'd get to a Monday Night War again

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm more apt to watch it on Thursday than sacrifice a weekend night to stay at home and stare at TV.

Wasn't it suggested this was to have happened some months ago? I thought TNA ran to Wednesday nights to avoid WWE, no? At the time, I thought WWE announced some compelling reason they didn't want to go to Thursday.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm more apt to watch it on Thursday than sacrifice a weekend night to stay at home and stare at TV.

Wasn't it suggested this was to have happened some months ago? I thought TNA ran to Wednesday nights to avoid WWE, no? At the time, I thought WWE announced some compelling reason they didn't want to go to Thursday.

It all started when a WWE production truck was painted with various wrestlers and was advertising SmackDown! at being on Thursdays at 8 pm. This led to speculation that WWE was going to move the show, that whomever WWE hired to paint their truck made a mistake, or that there was a plan to move the show and that someone accidentally jumped the gun.

As a result, I do think that TNA moved to Wednesdays in order to avoid the potential of having to go head to head with the blue brand. I don't know if TNA officials ever came right out and said that, something I doubt as executives of any company don't want to show something that could be construed as a sign of weakness, but there were numerous reports stating that fear of SD! moving to Thursdays was chiefly why TNA moved to Wednesdays.

Because of the move, which is set to happen in January, NXT will be moving to Wednesday nights at 8 pm on the WWE Network.

 

[OYDK]

I'm almost never home on Friday night and I haven't been watching Smackdown for a while now. A big part of that is, I don't care enough about the show to waste a Friday night and while Thursdays make the show more watchable to me, I probably won't be wasting my Thursday nights either.

To me, it's the same crappy tapings on a different night. I'm sure ratings will see a slight rise but I have no interest in SD right now.

 

[Mustang Sally]

As a result, I do think that TNA moved to Wednesdays in order to avoid the potential of having to go head to head with the blue brand. I don't know if TNA officials ever came right out and said that, something I doubt as executives of any company don't want to show something that could be construed as a sign of weakness, but there were numerous reports stating that fear of SD! moving to Thursdays was chiefly why TNA moved to Wednesdays.

If that's the case, it's scary, don't you think? The idea of one sports entertainment company taking the huge step of moving their show to another night because they saw something printed on a WWE truck? Jeez!

It's not as if I'd blame TNA for moving; at the point it happened, I don't think they were in position to worry about showing weakness .....circumstances had left them in full retreat mode. If Smackdown does move now, perhaps the rival company breathes a sigh of relief.....for the time being, anyway.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Cool.

It was always kind of depressing as Smackdown went off the air to realize that you just spent your Friday night watching wrestling. Lol.

But I hope this comes with a graphics, set change and maybe even go live. Maybe even give it something to make it more than diet RAW.

 

[Reflection]

I thought WWE was just faking it, like we pretend to pick up a stone in order to scare away a street dog. I'm a bit sad because we used to get Smackdown before America (and that is something worth being proud of) but now y'all are gonna get it ahead of us again. Maybe that is a contributing factor as well behind them moving to Thursday nights- that markets of less priority were getting it before their chief market.