Smackdown gets bigger ratings but in exchange they kill their original programming lineup. You'd think they would at least use it as a lead in for one of their Friday shows.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Kelwyn" <ravena...@...> wrote: > > The beginning of the end was when they changed the name to SyFy. They did > this so they wouldn't be "restricted" by Sci-Fi programming. > > ~(no)rave! > > --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@> wrote: > > > > Well, how much more does SyFy plan to get away from the scifi motif? They > > claim it's a zero-sum gain, since one wrestling show is going away, to be > > replaced by another, and since they claim Tuesday nights will generate > > better viewership. But this is utter bullcrap. A two hour wrestling block > > on Friday nights? I just don't get this... > > > > ******************************************************* > > http://www.multichannel.com/article/451611-Syfy_s_Wrestling_Upgrade_SmackDown_on_Fridays.php > > > > Syfyâs Wrestling Upgrade: âSmackDownâ on Fridays > > By Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 4/19/2010 12:01:00 AM > > > > > > Syfy hopes to pin down young wrestling fans on Friday nights with the fall > > launch of World Wrestling Entertainmentâs popular Friday Night SmackDown > > , newly acquired by the NBC Universal outlet. > > > > Syfy will air the two-hour, weekly series â" which migrates from broadcast > > network MyNetworkTV â" beginning Oct. 1, during the 8 to 10 p.m. slot on > > Fridays that had been home to Syfyâs original series. > > > > To make room for SmackDown , Syfy will move original franchises such as > > Caprica and Sanctuary , which had aired on âSyfy Friday,â to Tuesday > > nights.Th ey replace wrestling reality series WWE NXT, which will leave the > > networkâs schedule in October. > > > > WWE NXT â" formerly ECW â" has averaged 1.4 million viewers since > > launching last month. Friday Night SmackDown averages more than 3.4 million > > viewers a week on MyNetworkTV, making it the second most popular WWE > > franchise behind USA Networkâs WWE Monday Night Raw . > > > > âI think this is a fantastic opportunity to upgrade what we already have > > and bring in a bigger WWE franchise â" SmackDown being the second biggest > > after Raw ,â Syfy president Dave Howe said. â SmackDown attracts a > > bigger, more family oriented audience, so itâs more helpful in terms of > > cross-promotion with the rest of the schedule.â > > > > ORIGINALS MOVE TO TUESDAY > > Howe said Tuesdays will provide greater exposure for those originals than > > Fridays, typically a slower night in terms of television viewing. Freshman > > original series Warehouse 13 , for example, averaged a networkhigh 3.8 > > million total viewers last summer on Tuesday nights. > > > > Howe hasnât totally ruled out the possibility of launching a scripted > > series in the Friday 10 p.m. time slot. > > > > âWe still have Fridays at 10, so what weâre aiming to do is use > > SmackDown as a springboard to launch new shows on Friday, or put in repeats > > of our scripted shows so that we can continue to grow that SmackDown > > audience across our schedule,â he said. > > > > WWE officials are said to be âcurrently in negotiationsâ with other > > distributors regarding future carriage of WWE NXT . > > >
