More pro wrestling is coming to free TV after The CW just made another major move in live sports and entertainment. The network and WWE announced that all NXT Premium Live Events will air exclusively on The CW in a multi-year deal. The run starts with The Great American Bash later this summer and includes 20 PLEs over the next several years, including Stand and Deliver, Deadline, and Vengeance Day. The CW will also remain the exclusive home for weekly NXT on Tuesday nights.
For The CW, expanding its relationship with the pro wrestling juggernaut gives the network another steady stream of live, appointment-viewing content. It also keeps WWE’s rising stars in one place for fans who already follow NXT every week. The deal also makes the network the first broadcast home for NXT PLEs.
“WWE NXT has energized our Tuesday nights by consistently delivering a loyal and passionate fanbase to The CW every week,” said Brad Schwartz, President, The CW Network. “Adding WWE NXT Premium Live Events to our schedule is a natural fit, providing one broadcast destination for audiences to watch all their favorite Superstars, storylines and championship matches.”
The CW is broadening its programming by adding NXT Premium Live Events after having little live‑sports presence a few years ago. Beyond the squared circle, over the last few years, the network has built a fast-growing sports portfolio that now includes ACC football and basketball, Pac-12 football and basketball, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series coverage, the Arizona Bowl, Grand Slam Track, AVP beach volleyball, and more.
On the digital front, The CW Network recently announced a partnership with ESPN, making the ESPN app the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports events beginning in Summer 2026. The moves have turned CW Sports from a quiet player to one of the more interesting sports destinations in broadcast TV and streaming.
As more fans want ways to watch sports for free, The CW continues to double down on its over-the-air live event strategy. Earlier this year, The CW added a bigger Mountain West package that spreads games across broadcast, cable, and streaming, including new rights with CBS Sports, FOX Sports, The CW, and Kiswe. The network also extended its Pac-12 relationship through 2030-31, with regular-season football and men’s and women’s basketball part of the package.
For the WWE Universe, NXT PLEs on The CW seemed like the next logical step for a network that’s building out its live-event lineup. WWE’s developmental brand was previously described as a “game changer” for the network, helping elevate The CW as it competes with the Big Four among adults 18-49 and 25-54.
“The CW has played an integral role in raising the profile of our up-and-coming Superstars, and we are excited to bring NXT Premium Live Events to broadcast television for the first time ever,” said Shawn Michaels, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
On the flip side, this deal also comes at a time when WWE’s U.S. viewing map is more fragmented than ever. In the United States, Raw is on Netflix, SmackDown is on USA Network, NXT is on The CW, WWE Premium Live Events are on the ESPN app, WWE Evolve is on Tubi, WWE Main Event, WWE Vault, and AAA are on YouTube, and Saturday Night’s Main Event is on Peacock.
Each brand now has its own home, giving viewers more ways to watch, and WWE has more leverage across broadcast, cable, and streaming. However, the fragmentation doesn’t exist in most international markets, as subscribers find most WWE programming on Netflix.
With the latest deal, NXT is gaining more visibility on a network that clearly wants to keep growing with it. WWE gets a bigger stage for its developmental brand, and The CW gets more live programming to compete with the Big Four traditional broadcasters.