The ratings are in for the 2023 USFL Divisional Playoffs on FOX and NBC. For the regular season, the USFL averaged 604,000 viewers over 40 games. But with heightened stakes in the postseason, the league would look to score better viewership in primetime on network television. Similar to last year’s 2022 USFL climax.
Through the first ten weeks of the USFL 2023 season, 26 of the league’s 40 games have aired on FOX/NBC. The other fourteen have aired on cable. Here is the up-to-season average viewership for each network heading into the playoffs.
- FOX- (17 games): 726k (886k in 2022)
- NBC-(9 games): 904k (1.13 million in 2022)
- FS1- (6 games): 307k (284k in 2022)
- USA- (8 games): 229k (334k in 2022)
USFL 2023 Playoffs: Divisional Championship Ratings On FOX/NBC, 6/24-6/25 (* Per Nielsen Media Research*)
Saturday night’s North Division Championship Game on NBC, which saw the Pittsburgh Maulers defeat the Michigan Panthers 31-27 in an overtime shootout, averaged 957,000 viewers. The broadcast went nearly four hours, ending just before midnight on the East Coast.
An impressive number clearly boosted by an exciting fourth quarter and finish. The best number on NBC for the USFL since Week 4’s Derby lead-in game in primetime. (2.063 million viewers). The USFL has had only one network game average over a million viewers this season.
Last year’s Northern Final playoff game on FOX between the New Jersey Generals and Philadelphia Stars averaged an identical 957,000 viewers.
Sunday night’s South Division Championship Game on FOX saw the Birmingham Stallions advance to the USFL title game for the second year in a row by soundly defeating the New Orleans Breakers 47-22. The primetime broadcast averaged 852,000 viewers.
Last year’s Southern Final playoff game on NBC between the Birmingham Stallions and New Orleans Breakers averaged 998,000 viewers.
The USFL 2023 Championship game is set. The Birmingham Stallions will look to repeat as league champs when they face a 4-6 underdog Maulers team this coming Saturday night on NBC.
2023 TV Ratings By Week (Average Viewership, Per Nielsen)
Week One
- FOX: Philadelphia Stars-Memphis Showboats: 837,000
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-New Jersey Generals: 864,000
- NBC: Michigan Panthers-Houston Gamblers: 974,000
- FS1: New Orleans Breakers-Pittsburgh Maulers: 483,000
Average viewership: 789,500
Week Two
- USA: New Orleans Breakers-Houston Gamblers: 133,000
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-Memphis Showboats: 798,000
- NBC: Pittsburgh Maulers- New Jersey Generals: 725,000
- USA: Michigan Panthers-Philadelphia Stars: 211,000
Average viewership: 466,750
Week Three
- USA: New Orleans Breakers-Birmingham Stallions: 293,000
- FOX: Memphis Showboats- Houston Gamblers: 776,000
- NBC: Philadelphia Stars-Pittsburgh Maulers: 761,000
- FOX: Michigan Panthers-New Jersey Generals: 563,000
Average viewership: 598,250
Week Four
- FOX: Philadelphia Stars-Houston Gamblers: 521,000
- NBC: Memphis Showboats-Michigan Panthers: 2,063,000
- NBC: New Jersey Generals-New Orleans Breakers: 828,000
- FS1: Birmingham Stallions-Pittsburgh Maulers: 545,000
Average viewership: 989,250
Week Five
- USA: Pittsburgh Maulers-Michigan Panthers: 256,000
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-Houston Gamblers: 914,000
- NBC: Philadelphia Stars-New Jersey Generals: 757,000
- FOX: New Orleans Breakers-Memphis Showboats: 563,000
Average viewership: 622,500
Week Six
- USA: Pittsburgh Maulers-Memphis Showboats: 227,000
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-Michigan Panthers: 732,000
- FS1: Philadelphia Stars-New Orleans Breakers: 217,000
- FOX: Houston Gamblers-New Jersey Generals: 630,000
Average viewership: 451,500
Week Seven
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-New Orleans Breakers: 703,000
- FS1: Philadelphia Stars-Pittsburgh Maulers: 161,000
- USA: Houston Gamblers-Memphis Showboats: 251,000
- FS1: New Jersey Generals-Michigan Panthers: 274,000
Average viewership: 347,520
Week Eight
- USA: Pittsburgh Maulers-Houston Gamblers: 228,000
- NBC: Philadelphia Stars-Birmingham Stallions: 747,000
- FOX: New Jersey Generals-Memphis Showboats: 720,000
- FOX: New Orleans Breakers-Michigan Panthers: 774,000
Average viewership: 617,250
Week Nine
- FOX: Michigan Panthers-Pittsburgh Maulers: 700,000
- NBC: New Orleans Breakers-Memphis Showboats: 617,000/531K delay (CNBC: 47,000)
- NBC: Birmingham Stallions-Houston Gamblers: 665,000
- FOX: Philadelphia Stars-New Jersey Generals: 903,000
Average viewership: 721,250 (Not counting the delay or CNBC portion)
Week Ten
- USA: Pittsburgh Maulers-New Jersey Generals: 240k
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-Memphis Showboats: 636k
- FS1: New Orleans Breakers-Houston Gamblers: 167k
- FOX: Philadelphia Stars-Michigan Panthers: 720k
Average viewership: 438,250
USFL 2023 Regular Season Ratings Average: 604,425
USFL 2023 Divisional Playoffs
- NBC: Pittsburgh Maulers-Michigan Panthers (8 pm ET): 957k
- FOX: Birmingham Stallions-New Orleans Breakers (7 pm ET): 852k
