One WWE program has been well-received by its new network.
In late 2023, WWE confirmed that NXT would be leaving its home on USA and moving to the CW Network in October of 2024. The show made its CW debut on October 1st, with a blockbuster episode emanating from Chicago, IL.
Speaking in a new interview with Variety, CW President Brad Schwartz called the move a “game changer,” pointing to higher numbers for NXT on CW than the program saw on its old home of USA.
“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% year over year.”
“It’s Unheard Of” – CW President Brad Schwartz On WWE NXT’s Success
Continuing, Schwartz said that WWE and CW are always looking for new ways to expand their partnership, and that includes wrestlers appearing on other CW programming. He also had this to say about the success of the show:
“In adults 18 to 49 and 25 to 54, we’re regularly beating Fox on Tuesday nights. It’s unheard of. So it’s been absolutely crushing for us. It’s one of the big reasons why our network as a whole is up 40% season over season…Besides animation on Fox, [NXT] has the highest concentration of 18-49 and 25-54 on all broadcast.”
After NXT’s move to CW, archived episodes of the show were taken off the WWE Network and Peacock. Some older episodes have since re-emerged on the company’s dedicated NXT YouTube channel.