NXT made its big debut on the CW Network last night but not without some complaints from fans.
Some were upset with the constant censoring of crowd chants throughout the broadcast. What some may not know is the ailing CW network was formed back in 2006 when the WB Network and UPN merged. Despite having hit shows like Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, Riverdale and others the network never turned a profit spending two dollars for every dollar it earned. The was bought for a song by Nexstar last year and since then there has been a massive changes to its programming with many series being cancelled.
Nexstar CEO Perry Sook said in the past: “As many of you are aware, The CW is currently the lowest-rated broadcast network, which we believe largely reflects the fact that its programming is targeted for an 18-to-34 audience demographic, while the average age of the CW broadcast viewer is 58 years. Over time, we’ll be taking a different approach to our CW programming strategy.”
That could be why the network is sensitive to any kind of content that pushes the boundaries. While swearing on prime time television is permitted in many countries it is still a big concern in the USA.
The censorship was only one of the issues fans had with the move to The CW. The CW seems to have forgotten that less than 50% of American households subscribe to cable TV and stream the channels or programming they wish to watch. Last year, cord-cutting households outnumbered pay TV households for the first time. It is estimated that by 2026, there will be 80.7 million cord-cutting households in the US compared to just 54.3 million pay-TV households. While the CW is available in every household in the USA via cable it is not carried by or a part of many streaming packages available there.
To make matter worse the NXT broadcasts will be available to stream on the CW app until a day after the episode has aired live and the show isn’t streamed live on the official app.
The CW posted this after last night’s show:
Let’s do it again next week @WWENXT
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 2, 2024
Some fans responded with their criticism:
Can yall get the show live onto the app tho?! WE NEED THAT.
— Allen Highverson (@MDBx999) October 2, 2024
How about you let the west coast and mountain time be able to watch the same time as the east coast
— Eric Kuhn (@wwefanlasvegas1) October 2, 2024
maybe next week you make it available on your website
— geothefeo12 (@geoisucey) October 2, 2024
Can we get it on the App? Apparently I have every channel except for the one NXT came on! 😩 pic.twitter.com/Aeqtzcizfx
— Duux (@ProjectDuux) October 2, 2024
I don’t think I’ll be watching it at 8pm on Tuesdays anymore. I can’t watch the recording. Doesn’t set well with me. Now if y’all can make it live with everybody else that would help a lot!!
— Derek (@DerekJamesDJ789) October 2, 2024
How about putting it live on ur app so you don’t cut off a third of the country next week too. Thanks.
— Nug✌️🎃✌️🍉 (@nugthanksyew) October 2, 2024
Please.
Consider putting it live on the app.Even fox did that for smackdown.This is absolutely ridiculous that I had to watch it through a third party stream when I pay for cable.— Renee Dale (@rendale) October 2, 2024
U should be worrying about making it stream able for all of us!! You’re off to a rough start
— 𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕵😈⚖️ (@TheJoker_251) October 2, 2024
It remains to be seen if The CW will make any changes to how it broadcasts NXT next week.
