The CW Deeply Frustrated With Nielsen's Big Data System Amid WWE NXT Viewership Decline

The CW - WWE NXT's TV partner in the United States - have expressed their frustration over Nielsen's new ratings measurement system amid declining viewership for the Tuesday night show.

Nielsen announced in September they would be moving away from the panel-only method to Big Data + Panel to track TV ratings in the United States. The panel measurement consists of more than 42,000 homes and 100,000 people, while Big Data includes measurements from set-top boxes and smart TVs across 45 million homes and 75 million devices, providing a much larger sample size to determine what people in the United States are watching on TV.

Many sports have registered higher viewership since the Big Data + Panel measurement was implemented in late September, but pro wrestling programmes have registered viewership declines when compared to the previous panel-only system.

Analysis from Wrestlenomics has revealed that WWE SmackDown's total viewership is down 14 per cent, while viewership is down 20 per cent in the key 18-49 demographic. AEW Dynamite's total viewership is down 9 per cent and the 18-49 demo is down 20 per cent. AEW Collision, meanwhile, is down 6 per cent in total viewership and down 2 per cent in the 18-49 demo. WWE Raw ratings are not affected by the change since the figures are released directly by Netflix.

Wrestlenomics has also reported that WWE NXT's total viewership is down 9 per cent under the new Big Data + Panel system, and down 27 per cent in the key 18-49 demo. NXT still remains The CW's top show in primetime, but the network have expressed their "deep frustration" about Nielsen's new method.

"We've expressed to Nielsen our deep frustration with the way it handled the process, communication, and methodology behind its Big Data rollout. The sudden and substantial discrepancy in WWE NXT viewership reported by Big Data, relative to long-established viewing patterns, is inexplicable and lacks credibility. Further, a comparison with data from all other measurement products (including others from Nielsen itself) exposes a fundamentally flawed methodology in Big Data. We are disappointed by Nielsen's lack of cooperation, transparency, and accountability with its network partners as we work to resolve this issue," The CW told Wrestlenomics.

WWE NXT has aired on The CW since October 2024 as part of a five-year deal worth between $20 million and $25 million per year.