More On WWE NXT Moving to CW, Rights Fee Increase, Notes On NWA Reports

WWE announced that NXT will be moving to The CW next October, and new reports have more details on the story. As reported, it was announced on Tuesday that NXT will begin airing on The CW starting in October of 2024. It was noted in the TKO earnings call that the rights fees increase is 70% from the previous deal.

Fightful Select reports that according to their sources, the deal has been discussed for “months,” well before the reports of the NWA coming to the CW came out. WWE felt that things moved very quickly on the deal and once source noted that they’re quite happy with the deal, as NXT has increased revenue by millions and was not receiving rights fees five years ago. Sources from WWE said that when you factor in everything they do and what’s included, they feel as if it’s a 200% increase as opposed to the 70% increase specifically for the TV rights themselves. Deadline has also reported that the deal is “more than double” the $15 million rights fees that is currently in place. PWInsider reports that one broadcast source said that they believed the deal was “in the area” of $35 million to $37 million per year.

Both Fightful and PWInsider note that as of now, the show will stay on Tuesdays but that there will be more discussions as the start time gets closer. PWInsider notes that WWE is always open to conversations” if the network needs it to move.

The belief is that the show will remain similar to the way it currently is and PWInsider notes that it’s believed they will still tape out of the WWE Performance Center (aka the Capitol Wrestling Center). WWE would be open to taping elsewhere or potentially even touring if the financial aspects work out but one source said that as of today “We aren’t there yet.”

PWInsider notes that the belief is that any special events outside of the “themed” WWE NXT shows like Halloween Havoc will continue to air on Peacock, PPV, WWE Network and the like and there have not been any discussions about specials on The CW as of now.

Fightful Select reports that WWE has been very happy with NXT’s viewership increases and NXT is hoping that the cameos and appearances from main roster stars will continue now that the deal is done. NXT officials are very happy with how those have worked out from ratings, talent evaluation and performance perspectives

Fightful Select notes that talent they spoke to from the NWA were surprised by the NXT/CW news, and one said they were “blindsided” by the news. Sources in WWE do not expect that an NWA deal with The CW will happen at this point. PWINsider said no one had confirmed the report of the NWA coming to CW to them, and that those within the NWA were saying that the WWE deal had no bearing on any NWA conversations with the CW. The general belief of those working arounf the NWA is that the 12 episode reality series previously reported on was pitched to The CW with the potential of NWA Powerrr being streamed on The CW App. The report makes clear that no one has told PWInsider that that news is accurate, just that this was the word among those around the company and that today those in the company were told there were talks between the two sides that were not dead.

PWInsider does note that at one point, The CW had lengthy talks with Dave Marquez’s United Wrestling Network and that one point point possible strategies were being discussed, but then WWE came into the picture. There’s no word if UWN’s idea of a weekly live show out of LA will be shopped to other potential platforms.