Update 1.25.18: As Vince McMahon prepares to launch a new football league, here is a look back at ratings for his much-publicized first effort, the XFL. XFL ratings started strong and quickly fizzled in one year on NBC (and UPN and TNN). Originally posted in 2011: The XFL got off to a huge start in the ratings on this day ten years ago.
NBC earned a 9.5 final rating for its inaugural XFL telecast on February 3, 2001. The rating was up 86% from the network’s Saturday night average at that point of the 2000-01 television season.
The premiere XFL telecast helped NBC win the night on broadcast, and gave the network what was its highest rated Saturday night on record in the men 18-34 demographic.
XFL ratings did not remain that high for long. Ratings for NBC’s Saturday night coverage dropped by 52% from Week 1 to Week 2 (4.6), by 33% from Week 2 to Week 3 (3.1), and by 16% from Week 3 to Week 4 (2.6).
Ratings bottomed out at a 1.5 in both Weeks 9 and 10, and the league’s championship game — or ‘Million Dollar Game’ — drew a 2.1.
The league did not return for a second season. NBC averaged a 3.0 rating for twelve XFL telecasts. UPN, which carried Sunday afternoon XFL coverage, averaged a 1.3.
2001 XFL Ratings, via Sports Business Daily
(Sports Business Daily, 2/7/01, 4/27/01)
