XFL Back In 2024

[AROS]

XFL title game TV viewership sluggish, but ESPN says season met expectations​

It took three tries over 22 years, but the XFL completed its second full season.

And it’ll officially be back for another in 2024.

The developmental spring pro football league, which originated with WWE boss Vince McMahon disastrously in 2001 and then as a less-flamboyant but incomplete 2020 reboot, wrapped up its 2023 season with a championship game that aired Saturday on ABC. Per data released today, the championship game averaged 1.43 million viewers who watched the Bob Stoops-led Arlington Renegades, who were just 4-6 in the regular season, beat the 9-1 D.C. Defenders, 35-26, on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

That was the league’s best TV audience total since the opening weekend when a pair of games on ABC averaged 1.5 million and 1.6 million viewers. The title game, which kicked off at 8 p.m. on ABC and ESPN Deportes, peaked at 1.8 million viewers from 11 to 11:15 p.m.

“It performed within our expectations,” said Tim Reed, ESPN’s vice president of programming and acquisitions. “We ended on a high note.”

The 2023 XFL season started the week after the Super Bowl in February and continued as the USFL in April began its second season on Fox and NBC channels — presenting a rival for both fan eyeballs and corporate advertising dollars.

The question of whether there’s enough audience and money for two spring football leagues remains far from answered.

The XFL’s 10-game regular season averaged 622,000 viewers per game on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, FX, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. The eight ABC games averaged 1.13 million viewers.

The 2020 version of the XFL, which had more games on broadcast than cable compared to the current version of the league, started with 3 million viewers for its opening weekend and then averaged 1.87 million viewers per game for its mix of broadcast and cable games before the pandemic ended its season at the midway point.

The 2020 XFL never had to face March Madness competition, which this year siphoned some viewership from the 2023 version of the league. McMahon put his XFL into bankruptcy in 2020, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his business partners bought it for $15 million with plans to relaunch it this year.

The television landscape from the 2020 XFL to the 2023 XFL was one of rapid change, and that forced audience expectation adjustment. “That was still a pretty significant time ago,” Reed said.

Hence, the network’s position is that reduced viewership compared to the last version of the XFL is within expectations. The league and network success metrics, for either the XFL or USFL, have never been disclosed, so it’s unknown how they’re being measured internally — but the plug hasn’t been pulled.

Full article here. (Requires subscription but worth the $1 per month).

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

I’ll start with this about the Sea Dragons. They lucked in MASSIVELY with the Jersey colors. DiNuccis competition is against Jarrett Guarantino who was brought in to throw to tryouts and brought up to active roster when Russ got concussed.

Id be damn surprised if There isn’t a rostered qb3 and if DiNucci isn’t it. That would be the most hilarious thing ever. The xfl franchise could make some money selling t shirts and jerseys all across Seattle. Assuming they’re not 189 bucks, I’d buy one.

Second, the SD should expand their partnership with the local casinos. They all have some minor prize you can get, like some appliance you won’t use, so why not free tickets to the next home game?

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

The number of xfl players invited to minicamp: 57
The number who have gotten contracts: 17
The number of players in The championship who have: 1.

Move the championship game back a week. Otherwise you penalize the players who made it there.

 

[Hawkinaz]

I would like to see the XFL to officially become part of the NFL like a minor league system in baseball. Each NFL team could “sponsor” an XFL team and have some of the lower coaches working with the sponsored team getting experience

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

I would like to see the XFL to officially become part of the NFL like a minor league system in baseball. Each NFL team could “sponsor” an XFL team and have some of the lower coaches working with the sponsored team getting experience

There is Only one xfl team to every four nfl teams. What would work better is expanding their mutual interests with the nfl.

Like availability.

The xfl championship coincides with rookie minicamp. No Renegade or Defenders player could participate. The contracts given out mostly came from successful rookie minicamp.

 

[Hawkinaz]

There is Only one xfl team to every four nfl teams. What would work better is expanding their mutual interests with the nfl.

Like availability.

The xfl championship coincides with rookie minicamp. No Renegade or Defenders player could participate. The contracts given out mostly came from successful rookie minicamp.

I guess that shows how much I pay attention to the XFL

My point being have a minor league system for the NFL copying MLB essentially expanding the practice squads and having them play games during the NFL season where players can be called up or down as needed

 

[SantaClaraHawk]

I guess that shows how much I pay attention to the XFL

My point being have a minor league system for the NFL copying MLB essentially expanding the practice squads and having them play games during the NFL season where players can be called up or down as needed

There wouldn’t be enough tv slots in the fall given college and the baseball offseason unless games were all moved to minor platforms.

 

[Hawkinaz]

My mindset for the league would be different it would be more for developing players for the NFL and possibly having the teams in smaller towns that fans wouldn’t mind going to a live game for a drastically lower price than the NFL the league would need to be helped out financially by the NFL.

Before I moved to Arizona I lived in University Place a section of unincorporated Pierce County south of the Narrows Bridge I used to go to Tacoma Rainier games it was cheap and had cool promotions such as The Dog Days of Summer where you could bring your dog to the game. If you got lucky there would a major leaguer there for a rehab stint.