First it was moving back to Thursdays. Then it wasn’t.
Now it definitely is. SyFy announced that its long-running pro wrestling franchise WWE SmackDown! is returning to Thursday nights.
SmackDown, which has spent the past several years airing on Fridays, reclaims its original Thursday at 8PM ET timeslot beginning January 15, 2015.
In addition to drawing a greater overall television audience than Friday nights, Thursday also presents a unique opportunity for the male-skewing “SmackDown!.”
“Quite simply, more young men watch television on Thursday nights than on Fridays,” says SyFy’s Michael Engleman. “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,” adds WWE’s Michelle Wilson. “We look forward to bringing the WWE audience to Thursday nights on Syfy.”
