Full ratings for XFL opening weekend on ABC, Fox & ESPN
Update —
The ABC early game on Saturday averaged an 0.8 rating in the 18-34 demo. The late game on FOX averaged a 0.9 — which topped all of television in that category — and the ABC game actually finished second. In 18-49, both games averaged a 1.1 rating, also topping all shows on television for the day.
Sunday afternoon’s FOX game averaged a 0.8 rating in 18-34. That beat out everything on network television for the day with the exception of coverage of the Oscars ceremony, traditionally one of the higher rated shows of the year on broadcast TV. That game averaged a 1.0 in 18-49, also beating out everything except Oscar coverage.
The Sunday game on ESPN averaged a 0.81 rating in 18-34 and a 0.93 in 18-49. Both numbers topped all of cable television for the day and beat out everything on the networks with the exception of the other XFL game and the Oscars.
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Weekend ratings are in for the start of Vince McMahon’s revival of the XFL.
ABC had previously announced 3.3 million viewers for the early afternoon game on Saturday which also had a 2.07 broadcast rating.
Similarly, Fox’s Saturday late afternoon game between the Los Angeles Wildcats and Houston Roughnecks averaged 3.29 million viewers and a 1.91 rating.
On Sunday, the early afternoon game on Fox between the Tampa Bay Vipers and New York Guardians averaged 3.385 million viewers and a 2.10 household rating — the highest rated game of the opening weekend.
Sunday’s late afternoon game on ESPN between the St. Louis BattleHawks and Dallas Renegades on ESPN did a very strong 2.495 million viewers and a 1.43 rating, a cable channel with about 30% less total audience reach than the major networks.
The ESPN number was higher than any UFC broadcast has ever done on that network and beat out what most NBA games do in better time slots.
The XFL broadcasts were the top rated sports programming of the weekend with the exception of Sunday’s PGA’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am. If you average the coverage of both Saturday and Sunday for each sport, the XFL won out.