WWE Friday Night SmackDown On FOX's Ratings Rise With Empty Arena Show
Fans weren't in attendance at the PC, but they were definitely tuning in at home.
Last night's Friday Night SmackDown on FOX live from the Performance Center - with no fans in attendance - saw a ratings increase from last week's episode.
With an average of 2.588 million viewers - according to ShowBuzz Daily - across the two hour broadcast, the blue brand saw a definite improvement from last week's 2.456 million average.
This episode was particularly unique as it was one of the first live sporting/entertainment shows to be aired since the gluttony of cancellations/postponements of such events in the wake of the recent global outbreak of the Coronavirus.
No fans were in attendance and the show itself saw the likes of John Cena and Jeff Hardy returning - though Paige wasn't able to make it over to the U.S. due to travel difficulty despite being scheduled to appear - with Daniel Bryan Vs Cesaro and Sasha Banks/Bayley Vs Alexa Bliss/Nikki Cross, among others, all having to be wrestled in front of an arena full of empty chairs.
SmackDown also managed to tie for second on the night in the 18-49-year-old demographic with a 0.7 rating.
Who knows what WWE's plans are going forward in terms of producing more shows in such an unpredictable time? However, on this night in particular they managed to successfully entertain a world which was in dire need of it after such an unnerving week.