As PWMania.com previously reported, NBC plans to shut down the NBC Sports Network by the end of the year. This would likely lead to sports programming such as the NHL and NASCAR being moved to the USA Network.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com brought up how WWE NXT’s contract with the USA Network reportedly expires in October. The current belief is that if USA renews the show, it will be moving to either Thursday or Tuesday.
Meltzer talked more about the situation:
“The thing on that is that it changes the whole dynamic because there are bigger things than Vince McMahon, and USA Network both, wanting to keep AEW down; which is the whole reason NXT is on television to start with, but the NHL is gonna mean a lot more than playing silly pro wrestling games, because it just is.”
“Even though wrestling draws higher ratings the NHL is a prestige thing. It will become the highest profile thing on USA Network even though the wrestling will remain, RAW will certainly remain the highest rated show. Even if it has another drop this year like it did last year it will still remain the highest rated show, and probably for years to come, but it changes the dynamic.”
“If this happens then AEW is on Wednesday to itself, and we’ve already seen what happens then. It’s 200,000, or more if it becomes regular, extra viewers to AEW every week. Not as many of those new viewers will be 18-49. Actually, it will age-out AEW because a majority of those over 50 will change over to AEW so it will increase their demo, so it will age them up a little bit.”
