XFL week four is in the books, and it was another enjoyable weekend of football. TV Ratings have now been released, so let’s take a look at how the XFL fared.
Breaking: #XFL2023 Week Four TV Ratings
Houston/Orlando (FX): 405,000
Seattle/SA (FX): 343,000
St. Louis/Arlington (ESPN2): 572,000
DC/Vegas (ESPN2): 691,000All four games this weekend in the #XFL were on cable networks. Numbers don't include ESPN+.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 14, 2023
XFL TV Ratings | Week Four:
Orlando Guardians vs. Houston Roughnecks (FX): 405,000
Seattle Sea Dragons vs. San Antonio Brahmas (FX): 343,000
St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Arlington Renegades (ESPN2): 572,000
DC Defenders vs. Vegas Vipers (ESPN2): 691,000
The ratings this week are a mixed bag. There’s some good, as both St. Louis and DC continue to draw plenty of fans to watch their games. Interestingly enough, it was the Defenders game that had the highest number.
FX is certainly a bit disappointing, with neither game hitting 500k. Now, part of this is due to the scheduling. Seattle and San Antonio didn’t begin their game until 10pm ET, which probably played a role in the lower ratings. The XFL shot themselves in the foot with such a late start.
These numbers do not include ESPN+, or any streaming service for that matter. Considering every game was on a cable network this week, these XFL TV ratings aren’t terrible. But, a dip heading into March Madness is not ideal.
XFL TV Ratings | Week Four 2020:
New York Guardians vs. Los Angeles Wildcats (ABC): 1.5M
St. Louis Battlehawks vs. Seattle Dragons (FOX): 1.8M
Dallas Renegades vs. Houston Roughnecks (FS1): 1.1M
Tampa Bay Vipers vs. DC Defenders (ESPN2): 1M
Clearly, the XFL in 2023 is in a much different spot. They don’t have the backing of FOX anymore (for obvious reasons). At the same time, the league has had many games on FX and ESPN2, compared to most 2020 matchups being featured on ABC or ESPN.
#XFL Week 4 TV Ratings in the top 150 Cable shows (18-49 demographic)
Saturday: Houston-Orlando: 51st
Seattle-San Antonio: 31st
Sunday: St. Louis-Arlington: 28th
Sunday: D.C.-Vegas: 22nd
— Mike Mitchell (@ByMikeMitchell) March 14, 2023
With plenty of competition coming up over the next few weeks, it will be intriguing to gauge just how well the XFL does. Week five begins Thursday night, as the Seattle Sea Dragons host the Houston Roughnecks at 10:30pm ET on FX.
What are your thoughts on these XFL TV Ratings? What moves should the XFL make to improve numbers? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
