{"id":20640,"date":"2016-05-25T13:41:09","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T18:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=20640"},"modified":"2016-05-25T13:42:36","modified_gmt":"2016-05-25T18:42:36","slug":"caldwell-smackdown-change-needed-will-solve-real-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/05\/25\/caldwell-smackdown-change-needed-will-solve-real-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"CALDWELL &#8211; Why the Smackdown change was needed, but will it solve the real issue?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3961429552\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-665\" src=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Staff12CaldwellJames_120.jpg\" alt=\"CaldwellStaff_thumb\" width=\"120\" height=\"138\" \/>What took five years to build up was knocked down\u00a0in two years. Now, WWE and NBC Universal are\u00a0looking to go back in time by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/05\/25\/wwe-smackdown-going-live-tuesdays-july-19-distinct-roster-wrestlers\/\">re-booting\u00a0Smackdown as a\u00a0live show on Tuesday nights starting in July<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After five years of developing Smackdown&#8217;s space\u00a0Friday nights on Syfy,\u00a0WWE and NBCU Universal\u00a0decided to move Smackdown to a\u00a0more desirable Thursday night timeslot in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>That was it. No brand split, no renewed sense of purpose, nothing to make Smackdown stand out as must-see television on a new night. Decision-makers figured WWE fans would simply\u00a0follow the bouncing ball.<\/p>\n<p>But, TV ratings and viewership fell hard in 2015, along the same lines as WWE Raw three years into the three-hour Raw era.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2014 Smackdown Fridays on Syfy: 1.90 live rating; 2.661 million viewers<\/li>\n<li>2015 Smackdown Thursdays on Syfy: 1.71 live rating; 2.376 million viewers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Then, WWE and NBCU decided to move Smackdown to USA Network on Thursday nights in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>That was it. No brand split, no renewed sense of purpose, nothing to make Smackdown stand out as must-see television on a new, more-prominent\u00a0network. Decision-makers figured WWE fans would simply\u00a0follow the bouncing ball.<\/p>\n<p>But, TV ratings and viewership have been stagnant on the higher-profile USA Network, and not close to where the show was two years ago Friday nights on Syfy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2014 Smackdown Fridays on Syfy: 1.90 live rating; 2.661 million viewers<\/li>\n<li>2015 Smackdown Thursdays on Syfy: 1.71 live rating; 2.376 million viewers<\/li>\n<li>2016 Smackdown Thursdays on USA: 1.73 live rating; 2.425 million viewers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A change was needed. So, Smackdown is moving to live broadcasts on Tuesday nights with &#8220;a distinct cast, unique storylines, and a dedicated writing team.&#8221;<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1931416326\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s a good move announcing the decision in May two months before the move in July. WWE needs to build anticipation for the move; a quick change on say June 7 would not have had the impact necessary to make this stick.<\/p>\n<p>WWE also needs to take time to map out what they want to do with Smackdown. Do they turn Smackdown into the hybrid MMA\/wrestling show that Mauro Ranallo teased when he signed on as Smackdown&#8217;s top announcer? Do they follow Greg Parks&#8217;s advice\u00a0in our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/05\/25\/vip-audio-410-pwtorch-draft-night-audio-special-james-caldwell-greg-parks-draft-wwe-roster-raw-smackdown-addressing-wwes-major-tv-challenges-156-min\/\">April VIP Audio Draft Night Special<\/a> to re-visit Smackdown&#8217;s roots as &#8220;the wrestling show&#8221; signaled by a heavy emphasis on the top wrestlers on the roster, mixed with some big names to indicate\u00a0that Smackdown counts again?<\/p>\n<p>The concern is Smackdown\u00a0will feel just like Raw with\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/05\/25\/video-mcmahons-tease-new-leader-new-live-era-smackdown\/\">Shane or Stephanie McMahon running each show<\/a>, continuing\u00a0the overly-dramatic, sometimes groan-inducing authority figure battles stretched out over five hours of programming on back-to-back nights.<\/p>\n<p>Smackdown needs to feel different. Combined with the timeslot changes over the past two years, Smackdown&#8217;s viewership has slipped dramatically feeling like the taped run-off from\u00a0three-hour Raws.<\/p>\n<p>For the audience to &#8220;engage&#8221; in two more hours of live programming one night after Raw, Smackdown has to feel different. Format, identity, structure, etc., not just the roster.<\/p>\n<p>The key word WWE and USA Network mentioned in their press release is &#8220;engagement,&#8221; the buzzword about social media reach and then being moved to action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen <strong>engagement<\/strong> with our fans around the world,&#8221; said WWE CEO Vince McMahon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fanbase for our WWE shows is one of the most passionate and <strong>engaged<\/strong> audiences in all of entertainment,\u201d said Chris McCumber\u00a0of\u00a0NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3947975743\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere is a huge <strong>appetite<\/strong> among our viewers for live programming, and the ability to move Smackdown\u00a0to a live format brings a new level of excitement and helps truly &#8216;eventize&#8217; this every week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps more than ratings or viewership slumping, it&#8217;s the lack of social media buzz Thursday nights on USA Network that contributed to\u00a0the move.<\/p>\n<p>Since WrestleMania, Smackdown has generated year-low social media buzz. During the first quarter of 2016, Smackdown sporadically ranked in Nielsen&#8217;s Twitter TV Ratings. When Smackdown did rank, the show&#8217;s Twitter volume was always 42,000 or more.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-20641\" src=\"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/05\/SDTweets.png\" alt=\"SDTweets\" width=\"257\" height=\"166\" \/>Since WrestleMania, Smackdown has been at or below the 42k mark four out of seven weeks, including the past two weeks in the mid-30,000 range.<\/p>\n<p>WWE and NBCU are looking at\u00a0engagement, wanting to get people talking about Smackdown again. A move to live programming with a new roster and &#8220;unique storylines&#8221; is a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>But, the real key will be whether Smackdown has its own look &amp; feel differentiating the show from the three-hour Raw monster on Monday nights. It&#8217;s time to address the mistakes from the last two years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-4125628779\"><div id=\"pwtor-1455864956\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>What took five years to build up was knocked down\u00a0in two years. Now, WWE and NBC Universal are\u00a0looking to go back in time by re-booting\u00a0Smackdown as a\u00a0live show on Tuesday nights starting in July. After <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2016\/05\/25\/caldwell-smackdown-change-needed-will-solve-real-issue\/\" title=\"CALDWELL &#8211; Why the Smackdown change was needed, but will it solve the real issue?\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[757,1394,758,767,72,2872,377,113,184,71,117],"class_list":["post-20640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-takes_caldwell","tag-chris-mccumber","tag-live-smackdown","tag-nbc-universal","tag-nbcu","tag-smackdown","tag-smackdown-live","tag-syfy","tag-usa-network","tag-vince-mcmahon","tag-wwe","tag-wwe-smackdown"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/SDlogo_3x2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20640"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20643,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20640\/revisions\/20643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}