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WWE
Despite the combined star power of blue brand stars such as Bianca Belair, Solo Sikoa, and Naomi, the December 20 episode of "WWE SmackDown" drew in negative viewership trends, as reported by "Wrestlenomics" and "Programming Insider."
"SmackDown's" December 20 episode drew 1.3 million viewers, a 13 percent decrease from the December 13 episode, which saw 1.5 million viewers tuning in to the blue brand. Last Friday's episode did not fare well compared to the average amount of viewers over the last four weeks of "SmackDown," clocking in at an 11 percent decrease from an average of 1.4 million viewers over the past four weeks. Overall, the Q4 2024 viewership numbers have plummeted by 32 percent compared to Q4 2023's numbers, and "SmackDown's" overall viewership has decreased by 28 percent compared to this time last year.
Things aren't looking great in the P18-49 category too as the December 20 episode's 0.37 rating paled in comparison to the December 13 episode's 0.47 P18-49 rating, and represents a 21 percent decrease. Friday's episode suffered a 16 percent decrease in ratings compared to the past four weeks, which averaged a 0.44 rating in the P18-49 category. In this financial quarter last year, ratings were at 0.56; now, they are at 0.43, representing a 23 percent decrease. The blue brand seems to be doing much worse than they were at this point last year, with December 2023's average P18-49 rating of 0.52 towering over December 2024's current average 0.43 rating, creating a 17 percent gap between the two.
Friday's episode of "SmackDown" was in direct competition with the Indiana vs. Notre Dame college football playoff game and pre-show, which garnered a 1.65 P18-49 rating across both programs, and millions of viewers across ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2.

