- CW will show 52 live events a year
- Nexstar-owned network also broadcasts LIV Golf, college sports and Nascar
- NXT is currently on USA Network
WWE NXT will air on a free-to-air (FTA) broadcast network in the US for the first time after the professional wrestling behemoth agreed a five-year deal with The CW, set to begin in October 2024.
NXT launched as a semi-reality show on NBCUniversal’s Syfy pay-TV network before morphing into a developmental third brand for WWE in 2012. The show was exclusive to the WWE Network direct-to-consumer (DTC) service before moving to NBCUniversal’s USA network in 2019.
The CW will show 52 live weekly events throughout the season, hoping that the youthful nature of NXT’s roster and audience will be an ideal fit for its traditionally youth-skewed programming slate. The CW previously broadcast WWE Smackdown for two years between 2006 and 2008.
“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round,” said Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network.
“WWE NXT is a perfect fit for The CW thanks to its dynamic young talent featuring the hottest rising stars in the sport and exhilarating, unpredictable weekly events. The passion and engagement of WWE’s fanbase is unmatched, and we are eager to grow that audience as WWE NXT’s new home on broadcast television.”
“The CW has made impressive moves over the past year with its live sports programming schedule,” added Nick Khan, WWE president. “It’s a truly exciting opportunity to expand NXT’s audience by bringing the show to broadcast television for the first time in NXT’s history.”
