SMW: USFL Championship

[4th&long]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/0 ... -gold-cup/

>> For the year, the USFL Championship ranks fifth among spring football games behind the aforementioned XFL finale, a pair of opening weekend XFL games, and a post-Kentucky Derby USFL game on NBC (Memphis-Michigan: 2.06M). <<

To clarify 2/5 were in winter (the XFL opening w/e).

Also of note is last year Sunday Championship USFL (Stars v Birm) actually BEAT MLB's SNB (Phillies v SF). That tells me Philly fans choose USFL Stars over MLB Phillies - at least in that game and with a large Philly market was one reason why 2022 topped 2023.

USFL championship 2023 had two small market teams totaling 1.57% US household marketshare, vs 2x USFL 2022 3.11% and 3x XFL 2023 4.57%.

Market size matters.

>> Regional Major League Baseball action on FOX averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.76 million viewers last weekend, down from a 1.1 and 1.91 million last year. The following night, Giants-Mets combined for a 0.8 and 1.44 million across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes on Sunday Night Baseball — ahead of last year’s 0.7 and 1.22 million on ESPN alone (Giants-Phillies). <<

I don't hear it discussed enough but maybe DJ will start getting the message that smaller (very small) TV markets don't translate well into TV ratings. XFL 3.0 while not havings an overall huge TV marketshare does benefit from more overall larger markets . And they play in all of them.

[nick1091]

I think to be honest it's more accurate to say market size matters when your "markets," are in name only. It's going to continue to be challenging to have anyone in say New Orleans have any allegiance to the Breakers if there's no opportunity to see them play that's closer than about a five hour drive from the metro area?

Quite frankly I don't see a path to organic growth for the USFL from a ratings perspective if they don't abandon the hub model at some point in the very near future. 2022 was essentially a proof of concept season for the US that a spring football league could play a complete season of quality football which they did, and the following year's ratings still declined (though obviously XFL played a large part in that.)

[MGB01]

Market size matters.

Which has been totally debunked. USFL1.0 and XFL1.0 had all three majors (LA/NY/CHI), the Big Ten has them all beginning next year and should be the most dominant conference that ever lived, right?

Wrong.

FOX's MLB window, like 4th of July weekend last year, also had the Dodgers. Why was it down? Maybe cause the Dodgers were playing one of the worst teams in the league and they were actually going with TB/SEA (a fraud vs a joke) as their main game. Plus I suspect MLB ratings will be down on the whole at the end of the year because of the culture shock of expanded interleague play--Yankees/Dodgers, getting back to markets, may have been a ratings home run but Mets/Angels? Sure Shohei Ohtani could strike out ten and go 5 of 5 with three homers, but that's not because of market. He could do the same playing for the Mariners or Brewers next year.

Packers/Bears should also win the day in week 1 cause of the Chicago market right? I mean they should have gotten the kickoff against Mahomes instead of the Lions, yes?

But hey, Blutarsky's on a roll, much like when he reminded us of our bravery after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, you can't stop him.

[4th&long]

I think to be honest it's more accurate to say market size matters when your "markets," are in name only. It's going to continue to be challenging to have anyone in say New Orleans have any allegiance to the Breakers if there's no opportunity to see them play that's closer than about a five hour drive from the metro area?

Quite frankly I don't see a path to organic growth for the USFL from a ratings perspective if they don't abandon the hub model at some point in the very near future. 2022 was essentially a proof of concept season for the US that a spring football league could play a complete season of quality football which they did, and the following year's ratings still declined (though obviously XFL played a large part in that.)

USFL is abandoning the hub model over time. 1 hub year 1, 4 hubs year 2. The issue is they need to target the biggest markets. Mich is good, but Philly/NJ is a combined 8.75% market share vs Birm/NOLA being 1.17%. They need to target big markets. Fans in stands don't equal more ratings ... look at StL in XFL.

As far as ratings, not saying that being in market doesn't help get press/media/fan engagement, but certainly in 2022 championship got help from philly being there. Just as Dallas/DC did for XFL in 2023. Its not

[4th&long]

Market size matters.

Which has been totally debunked. USFL1.0 and XFL1.0 had all three majors (LA/NY/CHI), the Big Ten has them all beginning next year and should be the most dominant conference that ever lived, right?

Wrong.

FOX's MLB window, like 4th of July weekend last year, also had the Dodgers. Why was it down? Maybe cause the Dodgers were playing one of the worst teams in the league and they were actually going with TB/SEA (a fraud vs a joke) as their main game. Plus I suspect MLB ratings will be down on the whole at the end of the year because of the culture shock of expanded interleague play--Yankees/Dodgers, getting back to markets, may have been a ratings home run but Mets/Angels? Sure Shohei Ohtani could strike out ten and go 5 of 5 with three homers, but that's not because of market. He could do the same playing for the Mariners or Brewers next year.

Packers/Bears should also win the day in week 1 cause of the Chicago market right? I mean they should have gotten the kickoff against Mahomes instead of the Lions, yes?

But hey, Blutarsky's on a roll, much like when he reminded us of our bravery after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, you can't stop him.

You can say that all you want but big markets = better ratings. Its why FOX and ESPN showed back to back Boston v NYY 2 weeks in a row.

[MGB01]

Would they do so if both teams were the Royals and A's? Doubt it.

[laxtreme56]

From what I remember, the Philly market garnered a .43 rating for last year's USFL championship. Stark contract to the 11 rating in Birmingham. I guess you could say a .43 in Philly is "better" than a 1.0 in Wichita, but you're really splitting hairs at that point

[4th&long]

From what I remember, the Philly market garnered a .43 rating for last year's USFL championship. Stark contract to the 11 rating in Birmingham. I guess you could say a .43 in Philly is "better" than a 1.0 in Wichita, but you're really splitting hairs at that point

Was that for season or the game? Lets get some backup for that. Philly was not one of the top 10 rated for season, but this game can't seem to find details.

https://usflnewshub.com/usfl-news/usfl- ... ox-sports/

Birm got 2.11 & 2.69 ratings for 2022 reg season games on NBC/USA/FOX/FS1, that about 1/5 the championship. I would image what ever philly got in reg season it was 4/5x better in championship.

We may never get those details. But certainly in year 3 local/press/media fans will be less engaged if not in market.

[laxtreme56]

From what I remember, the Philly market garnered a .43 rating for last year's USFL championship. Stark contract to the 11 rating in Birmingham. I guess you could say a .43 in Philly is "better" than a 1.0 in Wichita, but you're really splitting hairs at that point

Was that for season or the game? Lets get some backup for that. Philly was not one of the top 10 rated for season, but this game can't seem to find details.

https://usflnewshub.com/usfl-news/usfl- ... ox-sports/

Birm got 2.11 & 2.69 ratings for 2022 reg season games on NBC/USA/FOX/FS1, that about 1/5 the championship. I would image what ever philly got in reg season it was 4/5x better in championship.

We may never get those details. But certainly in year 3 local/press/media fans will be less engaged if not in market.

Found it, .81 for the Philly market last year. When the Philly Soul won the ArenaBowl in 08 the market hit a 5.8 rating, plus 5k fans that traveled to Nola

[4th&long]

From what I remember, the Philly market garnered a .43 rating for last year's USFL championship. Stark contract to the 11 rating in Birmingham. I guess you could say a .43 in Philly is "better" than a 1.0 in Wichita, but you're really splitting hairs at that point

Was that for season or the game? Lets get some backup for that. Philly was not one of the top 10 rated for season, but this game can't seem to find details.

https://usflnewshub.com/usfl-news/usfl- ... ox-sports/

Birm got 2.11 & 2.69 ratings for 2022 reg season games on NBC/USA/FOX/FS1, that about 1/5 the championship. I would image what ever philly got in reg season it was 4/5x better in championship.

We may never get those details. But certainly in year 3 local/press/media fans will be less engaged if not in market.

Found it, .81 for the Philly market last year. When the Philly Soul won the ArenaBowl in 08 the market hit a 5.8 rating, plus 5k fans that traveled to Nola

Good catch. Not great. If we get the ratings breakdown for 2023 that would be good comparison. Ironically that still beats the 2nd largest rated market, NOLA by about 25k to 16k viewers. Plus there are more philadelphians around the US than smaller markets. I wonder if Dallas tanked now that they are in the XFL.
These ratings show the need to get in market (as if we need to say it).

Did the Twitter outage hurt more than expected... in 2022 the close game was trending on there and viewership spiked. in the end its water under bridge and with 2 leagues both are watered down