XFL 3.0 Takes Big Measures After Another Week of Ratings Lower Than XFL 2.0

With the third iteration of the XFL being up and running, the numbers have taken a significant hit. And no, it is not about the statistics of a particular player or a team but the viewership stats for the entire league. The first four XFL telecast windows saw a fifty per cent decline in viewership compared to the much more successful XFL 2.0.

Even the opening game only managed to harbor around 1.54 million viewers, which is again down 54% from the opening game on the same network three years ago. Maybe the absence of big-time names is hindering the XFL from taking off, or maybe the issue is something else completely. Whatever the case might be, the XFL seems to be determined to fix the problem and has taken a few measures to do so.

Next steps for the XFL

The XFL has narrowed down its problem to the networks they are currently broadcasting on. As it currently stands, the XFL was being broadcasted live on FX and ESPN2. However, Week 3 games only managed to gather around an average of 571,000 viewers on these networks, whereas the same networks gave the XFL better numbers by a margin of at least thirteen per cent in the previous iterations.

So, the XFL has decided to experiment and by experiment, they are going to be switching the networks up. Both the XFL and ESPN announced earlier that the next three games have been shifted to ESPN, making it a part of primetime TV.

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The XFL numbers aren’t outright horrible if we look at them independently but in comparison to the previous installments, something’s a miss. Back in 2020, the XFL was averaging close to 3.3 million for its opening game, while maintaining a steady 3 million viewership throughout the season.

The 2020 numbers would also look meek if we go back to the first-ever XFL campaign. Back in 2001, the XFL averaged over 15.7 million viewers on its inaugural day. The flamboyant style of the league was however not sustainable.

Why is the XFL back?

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has given his blood and sweat to revamp the XFL back to its former glory. Even though the league is struggling in terms of viewership, the competitive vibe will still be the driving force.

The Rock revealed his inspiration behind bringing back the old league, during an interaction with Scott Van Pelt, “The allure of the XFL for us as owners is to grow the game of football. It was the opportunity to create a league that I wish I had when I was around, I was a good player. My long business partner had this crazy idea, to become owners of a game that we love, but also create this culture of second chances for guys like me.”

Hopefully, the viewers will also resort to giving the XFL a second chance, and keep the league afloat.

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