NXT moved from the WWE Network to the USA Network in August 2019 to act as counterprogramming for AEW’s Dynamite series on TNT. The first time the shows went head to head, Dynamite averaged 1.409 million viewers against NXT’s average of 891,000 viewers. While Dynamite’s ratings haven’t hit those heights since, AEW’s flagship show has dominated the head-to-head battle, with Dynamite winning 62 times, NXT 9 times with 2 ties.
Now, the worst kept secret in the wrestling business has been made public as WWE has issued a press release proudly announcing they’ve agreed on a multi-year extension for NXT to continue to air on the USA Network. Also confirmed is that NXT will move to Tuesday nights from April 13, 2021, which is the first episode after WrestleMania.
While WWE did ultimately fail going head-to-head with Dynamite, it should be noted part of the move is down to the NBC Sports Network closing this year. This means it is likely the National Hockey League will be moving to the USA Network and would have caused a scheduling conflict.
Ultimately going against Dynamite costs the USA Network both viewers and advertising revenue, and with Dynamite and NXT on different nights, both shows should see an increase in viewership. This was demonstrated when the shows ran unopposed for four weeks between August 19, 2020, and September 9, 2020, due to the NBA playoffs and NHL Stanly Cup causing preemptions.
The big loser in all this looked to be Impact Wrestling, whose flagship show saw an approximate 40% drop in viewers when NXT went against them in 2020. However, with the change heavily rumored, Impact and AXS already decided to move to Thursday nights, historically one of the days TNA aired on from April 8, 2021. This now means every weeknight will have a wrestling show on television with Mondays being Raw, Tuesday’s NXT, Wednesday nights for AEW Dynamite, Thursday’s for Impact Wrestling, and SmackDown on Fridays.
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