WWE

Dave Meltzer Analyzes WWE's Upcoming Network Changes

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When 2025 does roll around, the days of "Raw" getting a Nielsen rating will be over, as the move to Netflix will only see a worldwide rating given to the show, rather than what fans have been used to for the past 31 years. Meltzer noted that those numbers will be extremely misleading due to the fact that Netflix is in almost four times as many homes, meaning that WWE will almost be able to say any number they want and pass it off as how many people are actually watching. For example, if 278 million people have a Netflix account, WWE could theoretically say that 278 million people were able to watch "Raw."

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"NXT" will be the most interesting move according to Meltzer, as the show is moving from cable to network television, but The CW is not only a less popular channel than USA, it's only in a fraction more homes domestically (71.25 million for The CW compared to 68 million for USA as of June 2024). Meltzer believes that the ratings will be a shot in the dark as to whether they will go up or down, and much like "SmackDown," will take until October to see what the new pattern will be.

That being said, Meltzer did note that the two live arena shows on October 1 (the debut on The CW in Chicago) and October 8 (going head-to-head with "AEW Dynamite" in St. Louis) will get big numbers, with The CW debut show looking poised to beat "Dynamite" that week thanks to the appearance of CM Punk. Meltzer believes that this could be a regular thing in regards to beating "Dynamite," but it will be a little while before that may become a regular occurrence.

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