Dana White’s Power Slap League got off to a rocky start drawing just under 300,000 viewers in its debut.
The UFC president’s latest side hustle earned an average viewership of 295,000 in the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic over the course of the hour-long episode that aired at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. Those numbers landed the program in 45th place overall according to a report from MMA Fighting.
Power Slap TV ratings drew just 295,000 viewers on TBS for its debut last night, doing 0.10 in the 18-49 demo (45th on Top 150) ✋🏾 pic.twitter.com/7BFDJmkAO7
— Alfred Konuwa (@ThisIsNasty) January 19, 2023
Power Slap aired immediately following TBS’s Wednesday night staple AEW Dynamite which averaged just under one million viewers over the course of its two-hour runtime. The slap fighting spectacle was able to hold onto a third of those viewers while the majority opted to change the channel or turn off their TV.
Power Slap’s ratings may have failed to set the world on fire, but the concept has gotten the attention of fans and athletes around the world. NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs provided live commentary during the controversial sport’s first episode. The Buffalo Bills star appeared to be mildly entertained by the mayhem, but other members of the MMA media were far from enthused, calling it nothing more than “sanctioned brain trauma.”
.@StefonDiggs with the #PowerSlap commentary 🖐️ pic.twitter.com/KPcAcrmLnj
— Power Slap (@powerslap) January 19, 2023
At the very least, Power Slap will complete its eight-episode run on TBS. Whether or not the product sees a future beyond that will likely be determined in the coming weeks. The first season will be capped off by a pay-per-view event where the two featured coaches, ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Darius the Destroyer’ will slap it out to become the first-ever Power Slap champion.
