Yesterday, the ratings came out for the week 3 games that aired on ABC/ESPN. Today, we now have the numbers for the FOX/FS1 games. We saw a slight dip from week 2 to 3, but that was expected. The XFL is still finding it’s base, but compared to the original XFL and the AAF these drops are minimal.
How XFL Week 3 ratings compare to college hoops, hockey, and soccer this past week (h/t @SportsTVRatings, @Aquinas82nd) pic.twitter.com/ltq0PF1xMt
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) February 25, 2020
The Saturday FOX game showcased the Dallas Renegades traveling to Seattle to take on the Dragons. The match-up drew and impressive 2.051 Million viewer average. As I’ve said before, if the league can maintain 1-2.5 Million viewers per broadcast it will continue to be successful.
The Sunday game aired on FS1 and featured the undefeated DC Defenders batteling the un-winning Los Angeles Wildcats. The Wildcats ended up shocking the Defenders (and the world) when they blew out DC 39-9. But… how many people watched? Drawing 1.004 Million viewers, this is the lowest watched XFL game so far this season. I wouldn’t be too concerned though. 1 Million is a solid number, especially when LA is known to have a soft sports market. Additionally, this game aired on FS1, compared to FOX.
Overall, I still think these are great numbers for a brand new sports league. There was no doubt that the numbers would dip after a strong first week, and luckily they haven’t tanked. Attendance continues to trend forward as well. Once the league find it’s viewership base, the next goal is to start building on those numbers.
