The CW Hypes WWE NXT Premiere Audience in Press Release, Strongest Audience of the Year in Key Demos

– As noted, WWE NXT delivered significant numbers for the show’s debut on its new network home, The CW, with 895,000 viewers and a 0.26 key demo rating. The CW has since issued a press release, hyping up the strong numbers, noting it was the biggest audience in nearly a year for NXT.

The CW also revealed it was the strongest programming on the network so far in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54. You can see the full press release below:

THE CW NETWORK DELIVERS LARGEST AUDIENCE FOR WWE NXT SINCE OCTOBER 2023

NXT’s CW Debut on Broadcast Television Drew 895,000 Total Viewers, +44% Over Last Week’s Episode on Cable

Premiere Was Strongest Programming on The CW This Year Among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54

Total Viewers Up More Than 100% for CW Affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Detroit

BURBANK, CA (OCTOBER 2, 2024) – Last night’s WWE NXT broadcast television debut The CW Network delivered the largest audience for the weekly program since October 2023, with 895,000 Total Viewers, up +44% compared to last week’s episode on cable TV. The premiere peaked at 965,000 total viewers from 8:15-8:30 p.m. and was the #1 telecast on The CW this year among adults 25-54 (406,000) and adults 18-49 (354,000).

Fans following WWE NXT’s move to The CW saw Trick Williams regain the NXT Championship and featured guest appearances by WWE Superstars CM Punk, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. The episode fueled triple digit increases compared to The CW’s Tuesday primetime season average, up +143% in total viewers, and delivered triple digit increases in total viewers for major markets including New York (WPIX-TV), Los Angeles (KTLA-TV), Dallas (KDAF-TV) and Detroit (WKBD-TV) versus last Tuesday’s primetime programming.

Close on the heels of The CW’s premiere of NASCAR Xfinity Series racing September 20, WWE NXT’s successful debut on The CW marks the second impressive premiere in as many weeks for The CW, again Demonstrating that viewers are increasingly turning into The CW for live sports.

In November 2023, The CW Network and WWE announced a five-year agreement to bring NXT wrestling to broadcast television for the first time ever. As the exclusive home of NXT, The CW will air 52 live weekly events throughout the season. Launched by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, NXT has aired weekly since 2012 and features the brightest young talent in sports entertainment. Nearly 90 percent of the participants in last year’s WrestleMania were developed under the NXT banner. Led by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, NXT is extremely popular with younger audiences.

WWE NXT continues next Tuesday, October 8 (8:00-10:00pm ET/PT) on The CW with a special live event from St. Louis featuring a guest appearance by WWE Superstar Randy Orton.