NHL Playoffs Clash Leads to a Decline in WWE NXT Viewership

WWE NXT experienced a decline in its viewership, averaging 581,000 viewers on the USA Network, a drop of 5.5 percent from the previous week. This marks the lowest audience total for the show since May 23. In the 18-49 demographic, NXT secured the eighth spot on the cable charts with a 0.16 rating, tying with the lowest rating NXT has drawn since May 16.

The show aired head-to-head with Game Five of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, which topped the cable charts with nearly 2.5 million viewers overall and a 0.79 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The NHL game, which saw the Las Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Florida Panthers to win the Stanley Cup, is believed to have contributed to NXT’s decline in viewership.

The primary reason for NXT’s overall decline was a significant drop in viewership among women in the 18-49 demographic, which was down 23.1 percent from the previous week. This was offset by a 14.3 percent increase in viewership among females aged 12-34.

Despite the decline, NXT’s 18-49 rating was up 33.3 percent compared to the same week in 2022, even though there was no NHL game airing head-to-head last year. The overall audience, however, was down 5.1 percent.