SmackDown ratings down big following Superstar Shakeup

After last week’s post-brand split high-water mark of 3.11 million viewers for the second night of WWE’s Superstar Shakeup, SmackDown ratings came crashing all the way down to 2.54 million this week.

That’s the lowest number the show has done since January 10th and well below what SmackDown has been averaging since moving to its live format on Tuesday nights.

SmackDown faced tough competition from both the broadcast networks and other cable TV fare. The episode was sixth for the night in total viewers on cable. It was likely most affected by an NBA playoff game that it went head-to-head with, which averaged 3.37 million viewers on TBS.

Tuesday night’s episode was down to third in the 18-49 demo, from its usual first place, with a 0.81 rating, trailing two different NBA games.

On broadcast television, CBS juggernauts NCIS and Bull did 13.3 and 10.3 million viewers respectively, while NBC’s The Voice did 8.8 million viewers. All three shows were airing directly opposite SmackDown.