It may not be NFL season, but it’s definitely football season, as the XFL enters its third week of existence.
And if the television numbers are any indication, the new league may is off to a solid start.
While the television numbers took a dip from Week 1 to Week 2, when compared to the numbers for NBA and NHL teams in their local markets, the XFL is winning nearly everywhere.
Fox Sports EVP/Head of Strategy Michael Mulvihill shared some numbers which showed that seven of the eight XFL teams posted better television numbers than the professional hockey and basketball teams in their local markets.
Season-to-date household ratings in New York:
Guardians – 2.1
Rangers – 1.0
Knicks – 0.9
Nets – 0.5
Islanders – 0.5
Devils – 0.3— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Season-to-date household ratings in Dallas:
Renegades – 4.0
Mavericks – 1.5
Stars – 0.4— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Season-to-date household ratings in Houston:
Roughnecks – 4.6
Rockets – 2.3— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Season-to-date household ratings in St. Louis:
Battlehawks – 6.5
Blues – 4.3— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Season-to-date household ratings in Washington:
Defenders – 3.4
Capitals – 1.2
Wizards – 0.6— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Season-to-date household ratings in Tampa:
Vipers – 4.7
Lightning – 1.6— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Only in Los Angeles, where they have a basketball team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, is the local NBA team beating the local XFL squad:
Season-to-date household ratings in Los Angeles:
Lakers – 3.1
Wildcats – 1.8
Clippers – 1.0
Kings – 0.4
Ducks – 0.2— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Over 2.1 million fans watched the D.C. Defenders defeat the New York Guardians last Saturday, a dip of roughly 1.2 million from the previous week. However, over 2.1 million is still a sustainable number for the XFL when comparing it against other sports.
As Mulvihill notes:
The most-watched cable EPL game of all time did 1.1m viewers. College basketball this season is averaging a little under 1m on ESPN. No fair person would argue that those properties aren't healthy and gaining in value.
— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) February 19, 2020
Week 3 should be very telling for the XFL: Week 1 drew large audiences as curious fans tuned-in to watch the games. Week 2 saw some drop off from the previous week as some curious fans tuned out. Week 3 should represent a more realistic picture of where the league actually stands.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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