Grappling With ‘SmackDown’ Shift

Syfy will look to pin down young male viewers with the Oct. 1 launch of World Wrestling Entertainment’s SmackDown series franchise. The two-hour show is migrating from broadcast network MyNetworkTV, and Syfy said it’s confident SmackDown viewers will follow the show to cable.

“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for us,” Syfy president Dave Howe said. “It’s the Holy Grail of wrestling franchises after [Monday Night] Raw — I think it gives us an amazing opportunity to create a destination for Syfy on Friday nights.”

Michelle Wilson, executive vice president of marketing for WWE, expects a smooth transition to the 96 million subscriber Syfy from broadcaster MyNetworkTV, where the series averaged 3.3 million viewers from August 2009 to August 2010.

“This move gives us virtually the same household penetration [as MyNetworkTV], so we’re not really worried about the transition,” Wilson said. “[With] our loyal audience, along with Syfy’s loyal audience and its household penetration, we’re confident that this will be a great move for us.”...More?

source: multichannel.com