Media Reacts: SMW-UFL debuts with pair of seven-fig audiences on FOX

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https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... ment-49845

>>  The inaugural weekend of the United Football League, the product of a merger between the XFL and USFL, averaged 1.04 million viewers across FOX and ESPN — down from the inaugural weekends of the XFL last February (1.3M) and USFL in April 2022 (1.57M).

If one views the UFL as a continuation of the XFL and USFL, rather than an entirely new league, the comparison is more favorable. The only spring football effort to reach a second season, last year’s USFL, opened year two with an average of just 784,000. That comparison is not quite apples-to-apples, as last year’s USFL opening weekend faced competition from the XFL.
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The UFL debuted on a crowded Easter weekend dominated by the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Saturday’s games aired opposite the second-most watched women’s game of the past 28 years, while Sunday’s games faced the most-watched basketball game of any kind in the past two.  <<

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https://www.foxsports.com/presspass/blo ... ing-start/

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Can you smell what the United Football League is cooking? A see-it-to-believe-it, game-winning field goal, trick plays, hard-hitting action all around and Week 1 viewership gains on FOX pic.twitter.com/3UB5WGLwsi— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) April 2, 2024

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 163307007/

>>UFL Week 1 winners and losers: USFL gets bragging rights, Thicc-Six highlights weekendWINNERS - Scooby WrightScooby Wright took full advantage of those USFL bragging rights. Wright spent two seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals before bouncing around the spring pro football league circuit, first with the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF in 2018, then the D.C. Defenders of the XFL in 2020 and finally landing with the Birmingham Stallions in 2022. He made the game-winning play in the Stallions' USFL championship game win in 2022, and seemingly has feelings about which league was better. Following Birmingham's win in the UFL opener, Wright had words for sports commentator (and former NFL punter) Pat McAfee, who had a hot take over which spring league was better when he interviewed XFL co-owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.Wright posted on X, formerly Twitter, after Saturday's win: "hey @PatMcAfeeShow usfl is better …. ya jaboroni." <<

GO SCOOBY GOOOOOO.....
 

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https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/A ... kend-on-TV

>> While there were some questions about the UFL opening its spring football coverage during a crowded Easter weekend with the NCAA Tournament and the first full weekend of MLB games, TV numbers for the league from Fox and ESPN show the decision may have been justified.<<

Absolutely!

[laxtreme56]

The Battlehawks scored big in the local ratings opening weekend, even beating out the Cardinals opener. Article hidden behind a paywall but I was able to take a screenshot before it shut me out. Birmingham coming in at #2, with Detroit and Dallas 3 and 4 respectfully in local ratings.
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/profess ... 32a2c.html