Week eight in the UFL is complete, which saw a dip in the TV Ratings. This was partially expected, with a couple of the factors that played into this past weekend.
#UFL Week 8 TV Ratings (Average Viewership)
Saturday 5/18
Memphis-Michigan (FOX): 673,000
Houston-Birmingham (ESPN2): 254,000Sunday 5/19
D.C.-St. Louis (ABC): 1.1 million
Arlington-San Antonio (FOX): 545,000— Mike Mitchell (@ByMikeMitchell) May 21, 2024
UFL TV Ratings From Week Eight
Michigan vs. Memphis (FOX): 673,000
Birmingham vs. Houston (ESPN2): 254,000
St. Louis vs. DC (ABC): 1,100,000
San Antonio vs. Arlington (FOX): 545,000
UFL TV Ratings Analysis
It appears that we’ve entered the “late season slump” that has plagued spring football leagues for their entire existence. FOX saw their lowest numbers of the season for the most part, with just 673,000 tuning into Michigan vs. Memphis – and 545,000 for San Antonio vs. Arlington.
To be honest, it’s tough to expect these games to have a tremendous audience down the stretch. Most of them do not have playoff implications. This past weekend, Michigan vs. Memphis had zero impact on how the USFL Conference will shake out. That said, it is unfortunate to see FOX have ratings similar to a couple of those matchups in the USFL that simply didn’t reach the threshold we’d like to see.
ABC saved this weekend, with 1.1 million tuning into a crucial showdown between the Battlehawks and Defenders at The Dome. There were major playoff ramifications from this one, and St. Louis typically has solid TV Ratings, so this is encouraging to see. It peaked at over 1.4 million.
#UFL2024 marked its most-watched game across ESPN platforms Sunday
As @XFLBattlehawks secured a playoff spot with a 26-21 win vs the D.C. Defenders
For the entire season thru Wk 8, UFL on ESPN platforms is up 27% vs ’23 XFL/USFL full reg. season avg. across all linear platforms pic.twitter.com/Aj4vP1OYGX
See also
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 21, 2024
ESPN2 scored just 254,000 viewers, but once again, given the track record of the XFL games on that channel, it’s par for the course. Birmingham vs. Houston didn’t impact the postseason picture either, and it was a game that was competing with the NBA playoffs.
Compared To Last Year
Compared to the week eight’s from a season ago, the UFL is still doing better for the most part.
XFL Week Eight: 760,000 average
USFL 2023 Week Eight: 617,000 average
UFL Week Eight: 643,000 average
Most notably, the XFL in week eight had a couple of big showings on ESPN, and even ESPN2 that notched 487,000 viewers. Generally speaking, the UFL has dominated compared to the USFL and XFL from week to week.
These next couple of weeks may see more of a dip in TV Ratings. There aren’t any postseason implications, there will be competition from the NBA playoffs, and FOX has a regional affair this next week. Time will tell.
Even if the numbers aren’t as strong for these final several matchups, overall, the UFL has shown that it is a much more durable TV product compared to the USFL and XFL competing with each other.
What are your thoughts on these UFL TV Ratings from week eight? Will they bounce back in the playoffs? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
