After a steep drop from week one to week two, XFL ratings fell again in week three.
Saturday’s Dallas-Seattle XFL game averaged a 1.3 rating and 2.05 million viewers on FOX, down 13% in ratings and 11% in viewership from the same window the previous week (Tampa Bay-Seattle: 1.5, 2.32M) and down 32% and 38% respectively from week one (Los Angeles-Houston: 1.9, 3.29M).
The game was the most-watched XFL telecast of the week, and topped the #3 Kansas-#1 Baylor college basketball game (1.3, 1.88M) as the most-watched sporting event of the day on Nielsen-measured TV. It ranked fourth overall for the weekend.
Earlier in the day, ABC averaged a 1.2 (-8%) and 1.91 million (-11%) for Houston-Tampa Bay. It was the first XFL window on broadcast television with fewer than two million viewers (eight telecasts).
On Sunday, ESPN averaged a 0.9 and 1.47 million for New York-St. Louis — down 40% in ratings and 39% in viewership from last week on ABC (Dallas-LA: 1.5, 2.40M) and down 57% and 56% respectively from week one on FOX (Tampa Bay-New York: 2.1, 3.39M).
FS1 brought up the rear with a 0.6 and 1.00 million for DC-LA, down 25% in ratings and 26% in viewership from the previous week on the same network (St. Louis-Houston: 0.8. 1.36M) and down 57% and 60% respectively from week one on ESPN (St. Louis-Dallas: 1.4, 2.50M).
Overall, the four week three games rank among the five least-watched XFL telecasts thus far.
By comparison, week three games in last year’s Alliance of American Football averaged a 0.31 and 515,000 (San Antonio-San Diego) and a 0.29 and 491,000 (Memphis-Orlando). Those games aired on NFL Network.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 2.25]
