NXT saw a rise in viewership while its 18-49 audience dropped for the taped episode from the WWE Performance Center.
The December 20th edition of the show averaged 705,000 viewers and approximately 183,000 (0.14) in the 18-49 demographic as it finished #21 among cable originals, per Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics and Showbuzz Daily.
Overall viewership increased by 6% while the 18-49 audience experienced a 20% decline. It was NXT’s most-watched episode since October 25th.
In the 18-49 demo, female viewership dropped by 27% while the male audience declined by 22%. Adults 18-34 decreased by 9%.
The show performed very poorly among adults 35-49, which was down 30% from last week’s number and its lowest number in the demo all year excluding episodes that aired on Syfy.
The one main demo that saw an uptick was adults 50+, which grew 24% and was its highest rating in the demo since September 13th.
The show aired against the college football game between Liberty and Toledo and was the top show on cable with 1.47 million viewers and 0.35 in 18-49. NXT also aired against the Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks which averaged 1.17 million viewers and 0.33 in the demo.
In Canada, the show performed very well with approximately 82,000 viewers and 24,000 in the 25-54 demographic on Sportsnet 360. The demo number isn’t anything special, but its overall viewership was NXT’s highest on the station since January 25th and tied for the second-most watched NXT episode in Canada this year.
The taped edition included the New Day retaining the NXT Tag Team Championships against Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, Katana Chance & Kayden Carter defeating Toxic Attraction and Ivy Nile & Tatum Paxley, and a show-closing angle involving Bron Breakker and Grayson Waller to build toward their match at New Year’s Evil on January 10th.
