XFL TV Ratings Suffer Noticeable Drop In Week Two While Attendance Rises

As previously reported, XFL television television ratings fell in week two. However, Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal noted that attendance for the weekend was up 9.5% to 76,285 fans from the opening weekend because of the strong attendance for the Seattle Dragons opener.

In its second week, the XFL averaged 2.06 million viewers between the four games that aired on ABC, FOX and FS1. This was down 34% from the debut weekend, which averaged 3.12 million viewers between the four games that aired on ABC, FOX and ESPN.

The first game on Saturday between the DC Defenders and New York Guardians averaged 2.146 million viewers on ABC. It was down 35% from 3.302 million viewers from the prior week. According to Showbuzz Daily, the game averaged a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demo, which was down 45% from the opening week. The game drew 15,031 fans in D.C., down 12.4% from the D.C. game last week.

The second game on Saturday between the Tampa Bay Vipers and the Seattle Dragons averaged 2.324 million viewers on FOX, down 29% from the previous week. The game scored a 0.6 rating in 18-49, so it was also down 45%. It drew 29,172 to CenturyLink Field in Seattle, which was the biggest crowd yet for an XFL game.

On Sunday, the first game featuring the Dallas Renegades vs. LA Wildcats averaged 2.397 million viewers on ABC and was the highest rated game of the weekend. It was down 29% from the prior week, which aired on FOX. Like the Saturday games, the game garnered a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demo, down 40% from the week prior. It was the L.A. opener and averaged 14,979 fans at the Dignity Health Sports Park, the smallest crowd so far for an XFL game.

The final game of the weekend between the St. Louis Battlehawks and Houston Roughnecks aired on FS1 for the first time, which has the lowest reach of any network airing the XFL. The game averaged 1.359 million viewers, down 45% from last week's game that aired on ESPN. It scored a 0.51 rating in 18-49, down 45% from the opening weekend. It drew 17,103 fans in Houston, down 4% from last week's game in the city.

The AAF saw a much steeper 65% drop in television ratings from week one to week two, however the AAF aired on national television on CBS in its first week, compared to TNT and the NFL Network in its second. The original XFL in 2001 fell 52% from week one to week two on NBC.