The TV Ratings are in for Week 9 of the USFL 2023 Regular Season. Heading into the penultimate week, the USFL has averaged 611,440 viewers over 32 telecasts on over-the-air network television and cable.
In Week 9, for the first time in 2023, the league was scheduled to have all four weekly games air on FOX and NBC, including its first primetime telecast on network television in several weeks.
However, a lightning delay caused two of the USFL’s scheduled week nine games to shift to cable (CNBC) partially and the Peacock Streaming network.
USFL 2023 Week 9 TV Ratings On FOX/NBC
Week 9 of the USFL season started with a Saturday noon telecast on FOX featuring the Michigan Panthers and Pittsburgh Maulers. The game averaged 700,000 viewers.
The USFL’s second Saturday afternoon game on NBC kicked off at 3 pm Eastern. However, a thunderstorm delayed the Memphis Showboats-New Orleans Breakers game for nearly three hours. During the delay, NBC aired frequent weather updates and a rebroadcast of last week’s Stallions-Stars game. Once play resumed for the Breakers and Showboats, the game was shifted to CNBC for its conclusion.
The NBC portion of the telecast averaged 617,000 viewers. During the weather delay, the broadcast averaged 531,000 viewers. The CNBC portion of the game had 47,000 viewers.
As a result of the severe weather conditions in Memphis, Sunday’s afternoon USFL game on NBC was pushed back an hour to 1 pm ET rather than 2 PM. The first hour of the Houston Gamblers-Birmingham Stallions game aired on Peacock. Those viewership numbers were not made available—the remaining portion of the game aired on NBC, averaging 665,000 viewers.
Sunday night’s Philadelphia Stars-New Jersey Generals primetime game on FOX averaged 903,000 viewers. It was the USFL’s best viewership performance on FOX since Week 5’s Stallions-Gamblers game. (914k).
Quick Analysis
If not for weather issues in Memphis, the USFL’s viewership numbers would’ve been better. The all-over-the-air network slate produced well, averaging 721,250 viewers—the league’s best performance since Week 4. But the last second shift and programming delays helped cap the league’s potential viewership increase.
There are seven games remaining in the 2023 USFL season. Heading into the league’s final week of the regular season. All four games have playoff ramifications, including multiple play-in games. Only one USFL team has clinched a playoff spot. Seven teams are fighting for three remaining spots in the postseason. The weekend’s last game will be in primetime on Sunday night as the Philadelphia Stars and Michigan Panthers duke it out for a playoff spot. You couldn’t ask for a better scenario for the USFL in Week 10.
The USFL has a chance to go out on a high note in these final three weeks.
USFL 2023: Week 10 TV Schedule
Saturday, June 17 Pittsburgh Maulers at New Jersey Generals (Canton), 1 p.m. (USA) Birmingham Stallions at Memphis Showboats (Memphis), 4 p.m. (FOX) Sunday, June 18 New Orleans Breakers at Houston Gamblers (Memphis), 4 p.m. (FS1) Philadelphia Stars at Michigan Panthers (Detroit), 7 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
Average viewership: 789,500
Week Two
USA: New Orleans Breakers-Houston Gamblers: 133,000
