The Alliance of American Football got off to a healthy start in the ratings.
CBS scored a 1.9 rating and 3.25 million viewers for the inaugural AAF games Saturday night, marking the most-watched non-NFL pro football telecast since 2001, when Week 6 of the XFL season had 3.67 million on NBC. It was also the highest rated since a 2004 Arena Football League telecast on NBC (2.1).
Head-to-head, the AAF topped ABC’s competing Thunder-Rockets NBA regular season game, which had a 1.7 and 2.67 million. It tied the NBA in adults 18-49 (0.9) and adults 18-34 (0.6).
The AAF ranked second among Saturday sporting events, behind only the Duke-Virginia college basketball game on ESPN (2.0, 3.32M). For the weekend, it ranked fourth behind Duke-Virginia and a pair of Sunday telecasts — Lakers-Sixers on ABC (2.4, 3.86M) and the PGA Tour on CBS (2.4, 3.73M). It beat the PGA telecast in adults 18-49.
Saturday’s telecast was around the same level as a lower rated NFL preseason game. CBS drew a 2.1 and 3.23 million for Lions-Buccaneers and a 2.2 and 3.40 million for Saints-Chargers last preseason.
In 2001, the XFL debuted with a 9.5 rating, 15.7 million viewers, and a 7.2 rating in adults 18-49. (Impressive as those numbers look by 2019 standards, it is worth noting that even the likes of “Becker” had an 11.8 and 17.53 million on CBS that same week. NBC’s “ER” topped the charts with an NFL playoff-like 17.9 and 26.54 million.)
On Sunday, additional AAF coverage had a 0.39 rating and 640,000 viewers on NFL Network. Only one preseason game on NFL Network last season had a smaller audience, Broncos-Cardinals on the final night of play (606K).
Figures for the AAF on CBS Sports Network will not be available, as CBSSN is not a Nielsen-rated network.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 2.12]
