The TV ratings are in for Week 5 of the USFL season. For the first time in 2022, the USFL aired three of its four weekly games on broadcast television. Week 5’s USFL games on FOX/NBC and the USA network averaged 642,750 viewers.  The league’s lowest weekly average of the season. The Week 4 USFL games on FOX/NBC and one telecast on FS1 averaged 805,666 viewers.  

USFL Week 5 TV Ratings (Via Sources)

• The Friday 5/13 USA Network 8 pm ET telecast between the Michigan Panthers and Tampa Bay Bandits averaged 250,000 viewers. The game scored a 0.05 in the 18-49 adult demo and ranked 100th out of 150 Cable shows. The most recent USFL game on the USA network back in Week 3 averaged 292,000 viewers. A similar Friday 8 PM showing back in week two on USA averaged 363,000 viewers.
• (Update): Saturday afternoon’s 5/14 game on FOX between the New Jersey Generals and New Orleans Breakers averaged 724,000 viewers. The game on FOX, which started at 3 pm ET, was delayed for nearly an hour in the third quarter due to lightning. The delay may have contributed to the drop-off from over a million viewers a week ago in primetime on FOX.
• Sunday’s 5/15 12 noon ET game on NBC featuring the still unbeaten Birmingham Stallions and Philadelphia Stars averaged 905,000 viewers. A week ago, the USFL Sunday NBC telecast averaged 1.159 million viewers.
• Sunday’s 4 pm ET Pittsburgh Maulers-Houston Gamblers telecast on FOX averaged 692,000 viewers. This year, the lowest output on FOX since Week 3 (4/30: 825,000 viewers).

Here are the USFL TV ratings from the first four weeks of the season as a reference point. Figures courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.

USFL Week 1 TV Ratings

• Saturday, Apr. 16: NJ Generals vs. Birmingham Stallions (FOX): 1.757 million viewers, 0.56 rating/(NBC): 1.310 million viewers, 0.42 rating
• Sunday, Apr. 17: Houston Gamblers vs. Michigan Panthers (NBC): 2.153 million viewers, 0.69 rating
• Sunday, Apr. 17: Philadelphia Stars vs. New Orleans Breakers (USA): 771,000 viewers, 0.25 overall rating, 0.11 in the 18-49 adult demo. The USA network USFL game was ranked 13th out of the top 50 cable telecasts.)
• Monday, Apr. 18: Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh (FS1): 268,000 viewers, 0.09 overall rating,  00.6 in the 18-49 demo. The telecast ranked 90th out of 150 cable shows.

USFL Week 2 Ratings

• Friday, Apr. 22: NJ vs. Michigan (USA): 363,000 viewers, 0.12 rating, 0.07 18-49 demo, ranked 72nd out of top 150 cable telecasts.
• Saturday, Apr. 23: Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh (FOX): 1.056 million viewers, 0.34 rating
• Saturday, Apr. 23: Birmingham vs. Houston (FS1): 402,000 viewers, 0.13 rating (172-minute duration), 0.09 18-49 demo, ranked 47th out of 150 cable telecasts.
• Saturday, Apr. 23: Birmingham vs. Houston (FS2): 88,000 viewers, 0.03 rating (36-minute duration)
• Sunday, Apr. 24: New Orleans vs. Tampa Bay (NBC): 757,000 viewers, 0.24 rating (Updated figure courtesy of Nielsen Media Research)

USFL Week 3 TV Ratings

• Saturday, April 30: Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Houston Gamblers (FOX) averaged 825,000 viewers.
• Saturday, April 30: Birmingham Stallions vs. New Orleans Breakers (FOX) averaged 1.144 million viewers. There was a slight increase from last week’s 1.056 million viewers in Week 2’s afternoon telecast. The game scored a 0.22 18-49 rating.
• Sunday, May 1st: Michigan Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Maulers (USA) averaged 292,000 viewers. Down from last week’s 363,000 viewers on the USA network. The game was ranked 91st out of the top 150 cable telecasts. Drawing a 0.05 in the 18-49 adult demo.

USFL Week 4 TV Ratings

• Friday, May 6: Philadelphia Stars vs. Michigan Panthers (FS1): averaged 207,000 viewers, 0.07 rating
• Saturday, May 7: Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Birmingham Stallions (FOX): averaged 1.051 million viewers, 0.34 rating
• Sunday, May 8: Houston Gamblers vs. New Orleans Breakers (NBC): averaged 1.159 million viewers, 0.37 rating

Week 6 USFL TV Schedule (May 21-22): 

Once again, the USFL will have three of its four games on broadcast television, with two of the games on NBC Saturday.

• Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Philadelphia Stars, Saturday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m. ET on NBC
• Michigan Panthers vs. Birmingham Stallions, Saturday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC
• Pittsburgh Maulers vs. New Orleans Breaker, Sunday, May 22 at noon ET on FS1
• Houston Gamblers vs. New Jersey Generals, Sunday, May 22 at 4:00 p.m. ET on Fox