Week six of the XFL is in the rear view mirror. Official XFL TV ratings have been released for each game, so let’s take a look at how the league fared. Overall, it was a much more positive week.
#XFL2023 Week Six TV Ratings:
Orlando/Seattle (ABC): 1.047M
Vegas/St. Louis (FX): 371,000
Arlington/SA (ABC): 753,000
DC/Houston: N/AESPN+ numbers not included. Games were split 50/50 between cable and broadcast networks.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 28, 2023
#XFL Week 6 TV Ratings
Monday night’s @XFL2023 game on ESPN2 between the @XFLDefenders and @XFLRoughnecks averaged 371,000 viewers. #XFL2023 https://t.co/pIEPPE4kbG
— Mike Mitchell (@ByMikeMitchell) March 28, 2023
XFL TV Ratings For Week Six:
Orlando Guardians vs. Seattle Sea Dragons (ABC): 1.047M
Vegas Vipers vs. St. Louis Battlehawks (FX): 371,000
Arlington Renegades vs. San Antonio Brahmas (ABC): 753,000
DC Defenders vs. Houston Roughnecks (ESPN2):
This is an excellent rebound for the XFL, and one that was to be expected. There are a few factors to take into consideration for this week’s ratings.
First, two of the four games were broadcasted on ABC, as opposed to cable networks. Clearly, ABC will generate a lot more viewers compared to smaller stations, such as FX or ESPN2.
At the same time, March Madness was not nearly as large of a competitor this weekend, as it was the last. With fewer March Madness games to watch, it allowed the XFL to deal with less competition. For example, Saturday’s game on ABC didn’t have any NCAA games to worry about.
Uptick From XFL Week Five
Last week’s XFL ratings were the lowest they’ve ever been. Thankfully, week six provided us with better time slots, and stronger networks, which led to the massive boost.
Not an ideal look for the XFL, to say the least. The USFL averaged over 640,000 viewers in week five in 2022, including a 250k outing on USA. Plus, the USFL was only in one market at the time.
The #XFL is shooting themselves in the foot with late start times on smaller networks. https://t.co/Z6829kVEcM
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 21, 2023
It’ll be intriguing to see how the rest of the season goes. Matchups on ABC have an advantage compared to those shown on FX. That being said, FX is holding its own, consistently seeing 300-500k per game. Also, ESPN+ streaming numbers are not included, which should add some more depth when/if they get released.
371,000 on ESPN2 isn’t going to blow people away, but it isn’t a poor number by any means. ESPN2 averaged 335k viewers in 2022. Not to mention, the XFL playing on a Monday night is not a traditional thing for spring football to do. That being said, there is certainly plenty of room for improvement for the XFL on cable.
Week seven of the XFL kicks off on Friday night, as the Arlington Renegades host the Seattle Sea Dragons at 7pm ET on FX.
What are your thoughts on these XFL TV Ratings? Are you pleased with the week six rebound? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
