With the WWE in the wake of this past Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Monday Night RAW saw an increase in viewership this week despite being matched up against the MLB Home Run Derby (read more about that here). SmackDown Live has also struggled over the past few weeks, so could the blue brand also turn it around? The numbers are in for last night’s show and it’s more good news.

Last night’s edition of SmackDown Live came in with a 2.293 rating, a 5% increase from last week’s 2.183 and a 13.9% increase over the past two weeks. Here’s a look at the last four weeks of ratings for the blue brand:

• June 26th: 2.135
• July 3rd: 2.013
• July 10th: 2.183
• July 17th: 2.293

SmackDown Live also remained at the number one spot in the Cable Top 150 Rankings for the 18-49 demographic (many may wonder where the MLB All-Star Game ranked, however that was on Network television, not cable). This is now the second week in a row that SmackDown came in at number one. Here’s the top five along with their share of the 18-49 demo:

1. WWE SmackDown Live – USA Network – 0.74
2. Haves & Have Nots – Oprah Network – 0.51
3. Chrisley Knows Best – USA Network – 0.50
4. The Challenge: Final Reckoning – MTV – 0.49
5. Below Deck Mediterranean – BRAVO – 0.47

EA’s Take: This is one of those rare weeks where I was only half-tuned into SmackDown Live, a program which nine times out of ten, I find to be more entertaining than RAW. That doesn’t always necessarily reflect in ratings and I do think the number for this week’s episode would have been higher had it not been for the MLB All-Star Game which pulled an 8.342 and averaged a 1.53 in the 18-49, nearly double that of SmackDown Live. A lot of times people look at these and think doom and gloom, but forget that it’s JUST CABLE. It doesn’t take into account streaming services or any other way people consume television now. Just a point that gets completely lost on those who take a negative viewpoint on seemingly everything.

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