Note on Impact Wrestling Move to Fridays

– During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio (via WrestlingInc.com), Dave Meltzer discussed Impact Wrestling opting to move to a Friday night timeslot. As previously reported, Impact is scheduled to move to Fridays on the Pursuit Channel starting January 11, 2019.

Pursuit, which is also owned by Impact’s parent company Anthem Media Group, will continue airing Impact at 10:00 pm EST. Impact has been drawing some of its lowest ratings ever with its 10:00 pm broadcast. According to Meltzer, the move is said to be part of a “long-term plan” by Impact Wrestling. This included taking Smackdown Live’s upcoming move to the FOX Network, with Friday broadcasts, in October 2019 into consideration.

Additionally, Impact Wrestling is important to The Fight Network after losing UFC programming. The movie to Fridays is intended to capitalize on the audience that watches Smackdown Live from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm EST, who would then hypothetically tune into Impact next at 10:00 pm EST. Apparently, the hope is that the millions who will watch Smackdown on Fridays on Fox will then switch over to Impact Wrestling on Pursuit Channel after Smackdown is over.

Considering what Impact draws these days in terms of viewership on Pop TV, a fraction of the show’s numbers from its days of the Spike TV era, the idea that Smackdown viewers are going to look for the Pursuit Channel to find Impact seems hopeful rather than realistic.