Week eight in the XFL is complete, and it was an entertaining weekend of football. The XFL TV ratings prove that notion, as there were plenty of viewers for the four matchups.
#XFL2023 Week Eight TV Ratings:
St. Louis/Vegas (ESPN): 868,000
Orlando/Arlington (ESPN): 679,000
SA/Houston (ABC): 1.006M
Seattle/DC (ESPN2): 487,000ESPN+ numbers not included. This is the final week of #XFL football without #USFL competition.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) April 11, 2023
XFL TV Ratings From Week Eight:
St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Vegas Vipers (ESPN): 868,000
Orlando Guardians vs. Arlington Renegades (ESPN): 679,000
San Antonio Brahmas vs. Houston Roughnecks (ABC): 1.006M
Seattle Sea Dragons vs. DC Defenders (ESPN2): 487,000
This a step in the right direction for the XFL. After seeing some disappointing numbers in week seven, the league rebounded quite nicely this weekend.
It makes sense, given the circumstances. Three of the four games were on ESPN/ABC, which are far more powerful channels than ESPN2 or FX.
As expected, week eight was a solid rebound for #XFL2023 TV ratings.
With less competition, and three of the four games on ESPN/ABC, it makes sense to see the increased viewership. Certainly a step in the right direction, with ABC's game breaking 1M on Easter. https://t.co/TfVLL16IRA
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) April 11, 2023
Competition Heading Towards Week Nine
Also, the XFL had very little competition to deal with this weekend, outside of the Masters. Now that March Madness and Wrestlemania are behind us, the league can now see better time slots – on better channels – down the stretch of the season.
Now, it will be quite intriguing to see how the USFL plays a factor. The competitive spring league kicks off their season this weekend, which means that the XFL will have to find a way to directly compete with their rivals.
At the same time, the USFL has a very strong infrastructure from a television deals perspective. The league is backed by FOX Sports, and also has a rights deal with NBC. As both leagues go head-to-head, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding whether there’s enough viewers to support two spring football entities.
Something to note as well is ESPN+. The streaming service features every XFL game, yet those numbers have not been released to the public. While they are still unknown, it’s reasonable to assume that ESPN+ provides some more depth to the XFL TV Ratings.
Final Thoughts
Of course, the ratings still have a ways to go before they rival that of the 2020 XFL. With that being said, if the league can finally be prioritized by Disney networks, that’s excellent news for the XFL and its fans.
Week nine of the XFL kicks off on Saturday, at 12:30pm ET on ABC as the Houston Roughnecks host the Vegas Vipers.
What are your thoughts on these TV Ratings? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
