The TV ratings are in for Week 7 of the USFL 2023 Regular season. A week ago, The USFL‘s Week 6 games averaged 451,500 viewers. After six weeks, the USFL has averaged 594,000 viewers across 24 games. In Week 7, the league aired three of its weekly games on cable for the first time this season.
USFL Week 7 TV Ratings On FOX, FS1, And The USA Network
Saturday afternoon’s 5/27 4 pm ET USFL telecast on FOX featuring the Birmingham Stallions and New Orleans Breakers averaged 703,000 viewers.
The second game of the weekend, a late night 9 pm ET telecast on FS1, saw the Philadelphia Stars and Pittsburgh Maulers average 161,000 viewers. The game was rated 97th out of 150 Cable TV programs in the key 18-49 adult demographic.
Sunday’s afternoon’s USFL game between the Houston Gamblers and Memphis Showboats on the USA Network, which was pushed back a half hour from its original 2:30 eastern timeslot, averaged 251,,000 viewers. The telecast was ranked 44th out of the top 150 cable shows in the 18-49 demo.
The final game of USFL’s Week 7 slate aired on FS1. The New Jersey Generals-Michigan Panthers, 5:30 pm broadcast, averaged 274,000 viewers. The late afternoon/early evening contest was rated 69th out of the top 150 Cable TV shows in the 18-49 demographic.
Overall, Week 7’s USFL games averaged 347,250 viewers. It will likely be the lowest average of the entire season because of the cable-heavy schedule.
TV Rating Analysis
The Cable TV ratings for USFL games are right where you expect them to be. In 2022, the USFL aired 15 of its 43 games on Cable TV, and the league averaged 309,000 viewers per telecast across FS1 and USA.
FS1- (7 games): 284k
USA- (8 games): 334k
In 2023, leading into Week 7. The USFL has aired eight games on cable, and the league has averaged 319,000 viewers. So the baseline on non-over-the-air network TV has remained relatively the same to this point.
However, this past weekend brought the cable average down to 273,000 viewers.
A year ago, during the regular season. The USFL aired 21 of its games on FOX and NBC. The league averaged 1.008 million viewers across those telecasts.
FOX- (13 games): 886k
NBC-(8 games): 1.13 million
Leading into Week 7 of 2023, the USFL has averaged 719,000 viewers on ten FOX telecasts and 1.018 million on six NBC showings. The latter is thanks partly to a tremendous standalone performance in Week 4’s NBC Derby lead in primetime game, which averaged 2.063 million viewers.
Thus far, the USFL has only seen one game out of 17, averaging over a million viewers on network television. The league is averaging under 800k per over-the-air network telecast.
The overall season average for the USFL is now 609,000.
Based on sourcing within the USFL, much like the league’s dissatisfaction with their anemic attendance totals in year two. USFL ownership has been slightly disappointed with the network numbers thus far.
The league has been hopeful that year two of the revived USFL would pick up more casual sports viewers that were on the fence about the product a year ago. Since the Superbowl airing on FOX, there was a significant in-house promotional push during the NFL playoffs and the big game itself to create more awareness of the USFL product and season two.
The spring pro football audience has proven to have a limited overall reach unless circumstances, like a lighter sports schedule or a strong lead-in, favor them.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the USFL in 2023. The league has a chance, with lighter sports league competition upcoming, a wide-open playoff chase, and more network games down the stretch, to raise its viewership average by default.
The numbers should rise. After all, the USFL has three broadcast network games slated for this coming weekend. Then in Week 9, the league will have all four of their weekly games air on NBC and FOX, with a Sunday night primetime game airing on the latter. All totaled, the USFL has only three more games scheduled to air on Cable TV in 2023.
Including the playoffs, from week 8 through the league’s championship game on Saturday, July 1st. Twelve of the USFL’s last 15 games will air on NBC/FOX.
USFL Week 8 TV Schedule
Saturday, June 3 Houston Gamblers at Pittsburgh Maulers (Canton), 12 p.m. (USA) Philadelphia Stars at Birmingham Stallions (Birmingham), 3 p.m. (NBC) Sunday, June 4 Memphis Showboats at New Jersey Generals (Canton), 1 p.m. (FOX) Michigan Panthers at New Orleans Breakers (Birmingham), 4 p.m. (FOX)
USFL 2023 TV Ratings By Week (Average Viewership)
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
Week Two
USA: New Orleans Breakers-Houston Gamblers: 133,000
It is strange. The 609k is a weaker number at this point for the USFL than it is for the XFL. It should be way higher for the USFL. It’s not even an apples to apples comparison.
In 7 weeks, the USFL has had 17 network games on FOX/NBC. One has gone over a million viewers. The XFL had 4. If the latter had 17 network games in seven weeks. Their average would have been higher. No getting around that.
The thing is the XFL had the benefit of Winter. While the USFL had the benefit of broadcast. Time of year is a big factor. Neither reached their potential. Also Fox, as a network, is just not in the same league as ABC-NBC-CBS its more akin to ESPN. And not enough prime time games so far this year.
My preseason XFL and USFL predictions were both on the high side for both of these reasons (posted on XFL Board). The other reason is its heading into 18 weeks of 4+ games of alt FB. That’s a tougher sell.
My big fear going into 2023 was will the presence of both league cause both to fail? I do think XFL and USFL need to be talking to coordinate certain aspects or merge at some point.
Having said all that they both are going to be reasonable in the TV ratings department. Is that enough is another question.
Keep up the coverage of both leagues – its good stuff!
“Based on sourcing within the USFL, much like the league’s dissatisfaction with their anemic attendance totals in year two. USFL ownership has been slightly disappointed with the network numbers thus far.”
This doesn’t surprise me, again 2 leagues are taking away from the novelty. Head-to-head games hurt both leagues. They moved from TB to Memphis – a TV market less than a third in size. And less primetime so far. And most of all they are not in Philly/NJ or Houston and instead are focusing on the smaller TV market cities. They may have underestimated these factors… however having said all that…
I was hoping for more too, hopefully they give it a couple more years as the ratings are relatively stable from 2023 (when u exclude simulcast opener) XFL presence in Weeks 1/2 alone account for that and more. We shall see.
I’d think the league would want to give the team’s fans at least a taste of their product once or twice a year- the Breakers are on year 2 of playing zero home games! Are they just a mere body bag team? Ditto Stars & Gamblers. Whereas the Stallions have played all home games 1 year, and half the next. What’s with Canton being a venue- is that like having the Cowboys play their home games in OKC- in comparison to (I assume) the Maulers?
4th&long
May 31, 2023 at 2:34 pm
Mike
Your math is off, the avg thru week 7 is 609k ironically same as XFL thru week 9.
Also week 3
FOX: Memphis Showboats- Houston Gamblers: 798,000 s/b 776k
4th
4th&long
May 31, 2023 at 2:37 pm
Correction, the 609k I meant thru the same week 7 of XFL – weird
Mike Mitchell
May 31, 2023 at 3:06 pm
It is strange. The 609k is a weaker number at this point for the USFL than it is for the XFL. It should be way higher for the USFL. It’s not even an apples to apples comparison.
In 7 weeks, the USFL has had 17 network games on FOX/NBC. One has gone over a million viewers. The XFL had 4. If the latter had 17 network games in seven weeks. Their average would have been higher. No getting around that.
4th&long
May 31, 2023 at 10:42 pm
The thing is the XFL had the benefit of Winter. While the USFL had the benefit of broadcast. Time of year is a big factor. Neither reached their potential. Also Fox, as a network, is just not in the same league as ABC-NBC-CBS its more akin to ESPN. And not enough prime time games so far this year.
My preseason XFL and USFL predictions were both on the high side for both of these reasons (posted on XFL Board). The other reason is its heading into 18 weeks of 4+ games of alt FB. That’s a tougher sell.
My big fear going into 2023 was will the presence of both league cause both to fail? I do think XFL and USFL need to be talking to coordinate certain aspects or merge at some point.
Having said all that they both are going to be reasonable in the TV ratings department. Is that enough is another question.
Keep up the coverage of both leagues – its good stuff!
4th&long
May 31, 2023 at 11:00 pm
“Based on sourcing within the USFL, much like the league’s dissatisfaction with their anemic attendance totals in year two. USFL ownership has been slightly disappointed with the network numbers thus far.”
This doesn’t surprise me, again 2 leagues are taking away from the novelty. Head-to-head games hurt both leagues. They moved from TB to Memphis – a TV market less than a third in size. And less primetime so far. And most of all they are not in Philly/NJ or Houston and instead are focusing on the smaller TV market cities. They may have underestimated these factors… however having said all that…
I was hoping for more too, hopefully they give it a couple more years as the ratings are relatively stable from 2023 (when u exclude simulcast opener) XFL presence in Weeks 1/2 alone account for that and more. We shall see.
RollWave
June 5, 2023 at 9:57 pm
I’d think the league would want to give the team’s fans at least a taste of their product once or twice a year- the Breakers are on year 2 of playing zero home games! Are they just a mere body bag team? Ditto Stars & Gamblers. Whereas the Stallions have played all home games 1 year, and half the next. What’s with Canton being a venue- is that like having the Cowboys play their home games in OKC- in comparison to (I assume) the Maulers?