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WWE News
WWE News: New information on split between WWE and CW, including final episode date Feb 8, 2008 - 4:47:54 PM
Mediaweek has a report this afternoon adding more details to the split between WWE and the CW Network that was announced last night. Smackdown will no longer air on the CW after September 12, 2008, which coincides with the end of the fall network TV season.
The report includes information from insiders at CW, with their general belief that WWE's ratings in the key adult 18-49 demographic were slowing. WWE's product, especially Smackdown, has been strongly marketed toward kids recently, which has led to lower adult demographic ratings.
From Mediaweek's report: "The CW insiders said the network was not exactly excited about renewing, since the Smackdown adult 18-34 rating this season had decreased to a 1.4, which made it only the seventh highest-rated show on the network in prime time."
CW also feels that Smackdown, despite its strong overall ratings, isn't a good fit on the CW, as viewers tune in for Smackdown, but don't watch any other programming. The report quoted one CW insider: "No one who watched Smackdown watched any of our other shows on any other night."
The lack of crossover viewership for other TV shows on the CW hurt the network financially, as they couldn't package commercial timeslots to advertisers with "other CW female-skewing shows." The report quotes a CW insider, who says, "I think we just knew it was time to move in another direction."
- Mediaweek Report.
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