The debut of WWE’s NXT on The CW Tuesday night saw a significant increase in viewership.
The broadcast network debut of WWE’s weekly developmental talent show drew an average of 895,000 viewers from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. That’s a 44% increase from last week’s episode, which aired on USA Network. Viewership peaked between 8:15 and 8:30 with 965,000 viewers. The episode was also the number one broadcast on CW this year among adults 25 to 54 and adults 18 to 49 with 406,000 and 354,000 viewers, respectively.
The viewership represented a 143% increase in total viewers over CW’s Tuesday primetime average this season, with affiliates in markets including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Detroit also posting triple-digit increases in viewership over last week.
The first NXT on The CW saw Trick Williams regain the NXT Championship, as well as special appearances from CM Punk, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. Next week, WWE superstar Randy Orton will make a special guest appearance.
In November 2023, it was announced that NXT would move from the US to The CW in a five-year deal worth $20 million – $25 million per year. NXT is the brainchild of Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who now serves as WWE’s Chief Content Officer. The show is currently overseen by Shawn Michaels, himself a WWE Hall of Famer with a storied in-ring career.
Since its launch, NXT has become an integral part of WWE’s talent development process. Current stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley and Kevin Owens all got their start in WWE through NXT.