WWE fans hoping to catch Friday Night SmackDown live on Peacock are going to be waiting a while—and now we know exactly why.
According to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, NBCUniversal is intentionally keeping SmackDown off of Peacock’s live stream in order to protect its traditional TV ratings on the USA Network.
During a discussion about Saturday Night’s Main Event moving to Peacock as a streaming exclusive, Meltzer pointed out that SmackDown’s absence from the live lineup isn’t about logistics—it’s about ratings.
“The only reason you would not stream SmackDown live on Peacock—the only reason—is for fear of [hurting] TV ratings on USA Network… and obviously by this choice, what that tells you is, is that TV ratings of SmackDown on USA Network are exceedingly important to NBC right now. Because if they weren’t, they would be trying to build up their Peacock service with SmackDown every single week.”
Meltzer made it clear that if building Peacock’s subscriber base was truly the top priority, SmackDown would be airing there live without hesitation. Instead, NBCUniversal is holding the show back for 30 days before it hits streaming—a move that exposes exactly where the company’s priorities lie.
“If you’re really trying to build streaming retention—SmackDown weekly on Peacock is your ticket. But they’re keeping that 30-day window before SmackDown hits streaming. That’s a clear signal about where their priorities are.”
While Saturday Night’s Main Event is being sacrificed from network TV to bolster Peacock, the fact that SmackDown isn’t going live on the platform says everything. NBCUniversal is willing to give up some programming for streaming, but not its top weekly performer.
It’s all part of a balancing act—protecting old-school ratings while trying not to fall behind in the streaming war.
Do you think NBCUniversal should also have Smack Down broadcast live on Peacock? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
