The President of the CW Network is very happy with how well WWE NXT has been performing in its first 8 months of the new media rights deal.
As part of the 2024 media rights shuffle that saw all 3 WWE brands move stations, most notably Raw becoming a Netflix exclusive, the developmental brand moved off the USA Network and onto CW beginning in October 2024. Since then, the brand has consistently performed well in the ratings and has often seen guest appearances from stars of the main roster and cameos from legends and Hall of Famers, most notably during the ECW special at the 2300 Arena back in November.
In an interview with Variety, CW President Brad Schwartz praised the partnership and believed it to be a mutually beneficial one:
“It’s been an absolute game changer for the CW, and I think it’s been a game changer for WWE. This last quarter that just ended was the highest rated NXT quarter in five years. It’s up 19 percent year-over-year.”
Schwartz later went into more detail on the ratings breakdown, adding that they have seen a boost in CW viewership across the board:
“In adults 18 to 49 and 25 to 54, we’re regularly beating Fox on Tuesday nights. It’s unheard of,” Schwartz told Variety. “So it’s been absolutely crushing for us. It’s one of the big reasons why our network as a whole is up 40 percent season-over-season…Besides animation on Fox, [NXT] has the highest concentration of 18-49 and 25-54 on all broadcast.”
WWE NXT To Continue The Build To Battleground
The next Premium Live Event scheduled for the developmental brand will be Battleground, which will take place on Sunday, May 25th as part of the 4-day takeover in Tampa. With 3 matches made official for the show, the current announced line-up is as follows:
- Oba Femi (c) vs. Myles Borne – Singles match for the NXT Championship
- Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Jordynne Grace – Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship
- Joe Hendry (c) vs. Trick Williams – Singles match for the TNA World Championship
Featured image: WWE
