After working the proverbial system with a steady stream of main roster talent to bolster the ratings, it looks like WWE's calculated risk has paid off with a brand new five-year contract for NXT at the CW, which will begin in October of 2024.

When NXT decided to shift from a reality game show format to a developmental promotion not too dissimilar to FCW, it initially began airing on the WWE Network, but when AEW secured its first contract with TNT, the promotion decided to test the brand's mettle on national television, with the Black and Gold brand landing on USA Network right alongside Monday Night RAW. After signing an extension with the USA Network in 2021, NXT will now try its hand on a new network, one that has been the home of more teen-centric shows like Riverdale and the Arrowverse over the past few years, in the hopes of securing a younger audience that can grow alongside the young Superstars showcased on the show.

Will it work? Only time will tell, but based on the press release officially shared by Business Wire, it sure sounds like the two sides are excited about the opportunity.

BURBANK, Calif. & STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The CW Network will become the official broadcast home to WWE NXT in October 2024. The five-year agreement marks the first time in its 13-year history that WWE NXT – which showcases WWE’s hottest up-and-coming Superstars – will air on a broadcast television network. WWE NXT will debut on The CW Network in October 2024 and air 52 live weekly events throughout the season.

“We are thrilled to welcome the WWE brand into the CW Sports portfolio as they play an integral role in our mission to bring live sporting events to the network year-round,” said Dennis Miller, President, The CW Network. “WWE NXT is a perfect fit for The CW thanks to its dynamic young talent featuring the hottest rising stars in the sport and exhilarating, unpredictable weekly events. The passion and engagement of WWE’s fanbase is unmatched, and we are eager to grow that audience as WWE NXT’s new home on broadcast television.”

“The CW has made impressive moves over the past year with its live sports programming schedule,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “It’s a truly exciting opportunity to expand NXT’s audience by bringing the show to broadcast television for the first time in NXT’s history.”

Launched by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE NXT has aired weekly since 2012 and features the brightest young talent in sports entertainment. Nearly 90% of the participants in last year’s WrestleMania were developed under the NXT banner. Led by WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, NXT is popular with younger audiences, ranking No. 1 in cable primetime on Tuesday nights last quarter among adults 18-49 and 18-34. Year to date, NXT’s average viewership is up 30% among adults 18-49. WWE Superstars, such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, have come up through NXT.

WWE NXT joins a growing roster of live sports on The CW Network, including ACC football and basketball games airing every Saturday throughout the season and LIV Golf. The CW is also the new home of the Emmy-award winning weekly studio series “Inside the NFL” and will broadcast NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning in 2025. The network will soon offer more than 500 hours of sports programming year-round.

Say what you will about how the WWE Universe has handled NXT over the past few months, but it's clear its strategy worked out. Soon, however, the real challenge will begin, as it's still very much unclear if NXT can establish itself as a brand on par with RAW or SmackDown.

Nick Khan has long wanted NXT to become WWE's third brand.

While NXT will soon officially become a fixture of the CW in roughly one year's time, Nick Khan has been long pushing to make the developmental brand into a true, blue stand-alone brand in the same way as SmackDown or even ECW before it.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter back in June, Khan laid out his strategy and explained why he hoped to turn the show into priority viewing for professional wrestling brands.

“Initially, NXT was on WWE Network. And then when the pandemic hit, USA/NBCU needed content, we did not miss a week of production… So we went with Tuesday nights NXT on USA from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern time,” Nick Khan told The Hollywood Reporter. “NXT ratings are also trending up… so that is going in the right direction. We think NXT has the viability to be its own standalone brand instead of just being a developmental system – a third brand, if you will, where you can see cross-over from our superstars on Raw and SmackDown to NXT while our young talent develops there. Once we get all of that situated, then we will look at other nights of the week to develop new content as well.”

Say what you will about how NXT got here, but after pushing the envelope for months via some shrewd business planning, it's safe to say the results are exactly what Khan was hoping for.