WWE’s NXT brand is set for a major expansion across multiple platforms following a series of new media rights agreements involving ESPN, The CW Network, and Roku.
As previously announced, ESPN and The CW have reached a deal that will make ESPN Unlimited the streaming home for CW Sports content. The agreement includes more than 800 hours of programming, featuring events such as NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, ACC and Pac-12 football and basketball, AVP volleyball, the Arizona Bowl, PBR Bull Riding — and WWE NXT.
Initial reports raised questions about whether the deal would include only weekly episodes of NXT or extend to Premium Live Events. According to PWInsider, the agreement is expected to cover the full CW Sports library, including NXT PLEs.
It has since been confirmed that NXT Premium Live Events will begin airing on The CW Network this summer, starting with The Great American Bash. While an official date and location have yet to be announced, the event has traditionally taken place in July in recent years.
Currently, there are no NXT-branded Premium Live Events scheduled for May or June. The most recent event, Stand & Deliver, took place on April 4th in St. Louis and aired on YouTube.
In addition to the ESPN and CW developments, Roku has announced a new partnership with The CW that will bring its programming to The Roku Channel with next-day availability. This includes WWE NXT, which will be available to stream every Wednesday following its live Tuesday night broadcast on The CW.
Under the Roku deal, a dedicated CW-branded hub will launch on The Roku Channel, expanding the reach of NXT and other CW programming to a broader audience across U.S. households.
WWE’s main roster Premium Live Events will continue to stream domestically on ESPN Unlimited, while NXT’s expanded presence across ESPN, The CW, and Roku signals a significant shift in how the brand is distributed moving forward.
