So long, USA Network.
WWE NXT is leaving USA for The CW next year, according to reports. The program showcases up-and-coming wrestlers in WWE’s stable. This comes after news that WWE Smackdown will be leaving Fox for USA in the same timeframe.
All of this works out to be something of a shuffle for the company. WWE Smackdown ran on The CW from 2006-2008, after running on CW-predecessor UPN for 7 years. This is something of a boon for The CW, as the network has had significantly less going for it after being sold by Warner Bros. Discovery. They have been beefing up their lineup with a number of sports shows with the likes of college football and basketball games from the Atlantic Coast Conference, LIV Golf, Inside the NFL and, beginning in 2025, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series. WWE NXT will give them a dedicated audience for its timeslot, which it will run in in perpetuity, as WWE shows run year-round.
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. 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.
CW president Dennis Miller
This is also a considerable boost for NXT. Being on a broadcast network opens up a considerably larger audience than even a basic cable network like USA. The CW is available in roughly 100 million homes in the United States, as opposed to USA’s 72 million. And considering that the shows numbers steadily increased on USA, it stands to reason that it’ll grow at an even faster rate on The CW.
Between the new leadership and ownership, the economics of the deal and with their broadcast network now being in more than 100 million homes, it became a no brainer to move NXT, one of our signature weekly shows, to The CW.
WWE president Nick Khan
This deal frees the company, which recently merged with UFC to form TKO Group, to focus on the placement of the WWE’s flagship series, Monday Night Raw. While Monday Night Raw has aired on USA for much of its three decades of existence, it’s looking more and more likely that it, too, will be moved to a new home soon. According to sources, offers have been fielded, though for now, nothing’s set in stone.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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