One week after failing to average even 400,000 viewers for a single game, the XFL returned to the million viewer mark in its first ABC window since week one.
Saturday’s Seattle-Orlando XFL regular season game averaged a 0.65 rating and 1.05 million viewers on ABC, easily the largest audience for the league since its previous ABC game in week one (1.57M). The game was originally scheduled for ESPN but was bumped up to ABC as part of a series of schedule changes.
Notably, the XFL game averaged a higher rating and more viewers than ABC’s primetime Capitals-Penguins NHL game the same day (0.53, 922K).
ABC also carried an XFL game on Sunday, averaging a 0.45 and 753,000 for San Antonio-Arlington opposite the NCAA men’s Elite Eight — the second-largest XFL audience since Week 1.
The Sunday audience is the lowest ever for an XFL game on broadcast television (including prior iterations), no real surprise given the NCAA competition. It should be noted that six USFL games on broadcast last season averaged fewer viewers.
There are four remaining XFL games on ABC this season, including the May 13 championship game in primetime.
Cable viewership remained on the low side, with FX drawing a 0.20 and 371,000 for St. Louis-Vegas Saturday night — the fifth-straight game on cable to fall below the 400,000 mark. Viewership nonetheless increased from the same Saturday night window on FX a week earlier (320K). Keep in mind this week’s game faced lighter competition from the NCAA Tournament.
Viewership for Monday’s game on ESPN2 was not immediately available.
Beyond the return to ABC — and the million viewer mark — week six marked a milestone for the XFL. The league has now lasted longer than the prior version, which was called off after five weeks due to circumstances beyond its control.
(Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.28)
