How Was Viewership For The XFL 2020 Premiere?

The first XFL game of the inaugural 2020 season averaged 3.3 million viewers on ABC this past Saturday.

According to ABC, the game peaked at 4.0 million viewers for the end of the game, which saw the D.C. Defenders earn a 31-19 victory over the Seattle Dragons at Audi Field.

The audience was 14% higher than the 2.9 million viewers that the now-defunct AAF averaged for its premiere on CBS last year. That league folded just eight weeks later.

The original XFL debuted to a massive 9.5 rating and 14 million viewers on NBC in February of 2001. Ratings collapsed immediately, bottoming out in week eight and nine with a 1.5 rating, an 84% drop from the premiere. The final XFL game on NBC scored a 2.1 rating.

The second XFL game of the 2020 season aired on FOX, however the viewership numbers were not yet available.

The @xfl2020 on ESPN/ABC is off to a strong start! pic.twitter.com/ZjAzmTLmz9

? ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 10, 2020