Syfy Moving WWE’s `SmackDown' To Thursdays

Syfy will look to pin down wrestling fans on Thursday nights with the January move of its popular WWE SmackDown series from Friday evenings.

SmackDown, which is averaging 3.1 million viewers on Friday nights, will move to Thursdays beginning Jan. 15 at 8 p.m., said the network. Currently the network airs acquired movies in primetime on Thursdays.

"Quite simply, more young men watch television on Thursday nights than on Fridays,” said Michael Engleman, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Digital and Global Brand Strategy for Syfy in a statement. “Among Men 18-49, PUTs (persons using television) are 15 percent higher compared to Fridays, expanding the potential audience for SmackDown. Since the majority of broadcast programming skews female, we're also using Thursday nights to counterprogram."

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.