The United Football League is off to a strong ratings start halfway through its inaugural spring season as it continues to establish its brand in a schedule crowded with baseball, basketball and hockey action.
Through the first five weeks of the season, the UFL — the league formed from the merger of the USFL and XFL — averaged 845,000 viewers over 18 telecasts on Fox, ESPN, and ABC. That’s a 25% increase over the combined total of last year’s USFL and XFL games through Week 5, according to Nielsen numbers provided by the league.
The mark also represents a 38% increase over the combined 2023 USFL and XFL regular-season average across all linear networks. The league is also drawing in younger viewers, posting a 33% increase in viewership among 18-to-49-year-olds.
Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill told Multichannel News the company is pleased with the numbers, adding that the nearly 1 million viewers tuning in to games on Fox are comparable to typical ratings for regular-season hockey and college basketball games.
“The most important thing is to put a credible professional football product on the field, and I think we’re really happy with the quality of play,” he said. “I think what we’ve always tried to stress is that we want this league to rate at a level that’s comparable to very well-established sports, and I think that’s where we’re at.”
ESPN president of content Burke Magnus added that the ratings show that spring football is on a “growth trajectory” and is resonating with fans. “We look forward to continued collaboration with the UFL and more success in the second half of the season,” he said.
For the UFL to maintain and potentially increase its ratings fortunes during the second half of the regular season, it will have to compete against marquee spring sports events, including the NBA and NHL playoffs and Major League Baseball’s regular season. Mulvihill believes the league can break through the sports clutter as it continues to appeal to young football fans.
“There really isn’t an easy part of the calendar … you’re going to have to face tough competition no matter where you go,” he said. “I’m confident that we can hold viewership and confident that we can build.”
