WWE Announces New Broadcast Home For NXT Brand

With the announcement last month that "WWE SmackDown" would be leaving Fox and heading back to USA in 2024, questions emerged regarding the futures for "WWE Raw" and "WWE NXT" on USA respectively. At least with "NXT," its future will lie elsewhere, in a move that will also affect another wrestling promotion.

In a press release late Tuesday afternoon, WWE announced they had reached a deal with The CW to broadcast "NXT" starting in September 2024. PWInsider reported earlier in the afternoon that the two sides were in deep negotiations, so much so that an announcement could happen at any time. No financial details were disclosed, though the earlier report suggested that the deal would be "the biggest increase for "WWE NXT" media rights ever." 

The deal will mark NXT's move from cable to broadcast TV, and will be a reunion between WWE and The CW, which aired "SmackDown" from 2006 to 2008; "SmackDown" also aired on The CW's predecessor, UPN, from 1999 to 2006. The news comes on the heels of speculation that The CW was entering a relationship with rival promotion NWA, with both a wrestling and reality show set to air. It's unclear what effect the WWE/CW deal will have on any potential NWA projects, or if a recent NWA angle said to give The CW pause helped contribute to this move.