At the beginning of the week, NXT was the biggest of WWE’s three biggest shows/sub-brands without a big streaming presence. It was on the app for its television partner The CW, but that paled in comparison to Raw’s presence on Netflix worldwide, along with SmackDown and main roster premium live events. In the U.S., SmackDown goes to Peacock after broadcast on USA, and PLEs are on ESPN Unlimited.
Now, thanks in large part to a new strategy from their domestic media rights holder The CW, NXT has a presence
on two additional streaming platforms beyond The CW’s app.
At the start of the week, NXT head honcho Shawn Michaels informed us that NXT’s PLEs would be on The CW starting with Great American Bash, presumably in July. That news came without specifying a streaming option, which we understood after the announcement early yesterday (Weds., April 29) that NXT episodes and PLEs will be available through ESPN Unlimited in the ESPN app.
Then later on Wednesday, Deadline reported The CW also has a deal with The Roku Channel to stream much of its entertainment programming with that free, ad-supported streamer. WWE’s been letting us know that pro wrestling is sports AND entertainment for years now, and The CW apparently agrees. Because NXT’s weekly show will be available on the platform the day after its premiere on The CW. Those episodes will also still be available on The CW app after they premiere on its television airways on Tuesday nights.
On their new strategy, CW President Brad Schwartz told Deadline:
“For us now it’s, how do we make the front door bigger? How do we get all this content that we put online, how do we put it in front of even more people?”
And Roku Media content head Lisa Holme told the outlet:
“The CW’s lineup is packed with bold, binge-worthy programming – from the intrigue of Sherlock & Daughter to the competition of ‘WWE NXT’ to the long-running magic series Penn & Teller: Fool Us. This partnership is all about connecting great storytelling with the millions of viewers who are looking for it.”
Let us know if you’re excited to soon have several ways to find NXT in the streaming world, and what you think of WWE’s strategy for their developmental flagship. Do so in the comments below.
