UFL 2024 Championship Game TV Rating on FOX Scores Highest Spring League Rating In Modern Era
The UFL saw a spike in viewership in its first weekend of playoff action with two conference championship games averaging 1.18 million viewers. That figure was a boost from regular-season UFL games, which averaged 816k in viewership across FOX, ABC and ESPN — more than a 30% increase in viewership from last season's XFL and USFL.
The question going into the final weekend of 2024 was whether the UFL's championship on FOX would be an apex point for the entire league's season, as well as surpass the numbers the USFL and XFL title games pulled in 2023.
UFL 2024 Championship Game TV Rating on FOX Sunday, June 16
Sunday's 5 pm ET telecast on FOX of the UFL 2024 Championship game, featuring the Birmingham Stallions winning a third-straight pro football championship in resounding fashion with a 25-0 shutout over the San Antonio Brahmas, averaged 1.596 million viewers.
Last May, the XFL's championship game on ABC averaged 1.43 million viewers. The USFL's title tilt averaged 1.2 million viewers last July. The UFL title game also eclipsed the USFL 2020 title tilt, which averaged 1.5 million viewers.
Up 38% over last year’s 1,157,000 viewers for the USFL Championship Game on NBC between Pittsburgh and Birmingham.
· Up 11% over last year’s 1,436,000 viewers for the XFL Championship Game on ABC between Arlington and Washington DC.
· Up 23% over last year’s average of 1,298,000 viewers for the respective XFL and USFL Championship games on ABC and NBC.
· Up 5% over 2022’s 1,517,000 viewers for the USFL Championship game on FOX between Birmingham and Philadelphia.
· Best performance for a UFL game on any network.
· Telecast peaked with 1,723,000 viewers from 6:15-6:30pm.
Overall
The 40 UFL telecasts averaged 850,000 viewers across FOX, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1.
- 34% better than last year’s average for all USFL and XFL games through last season (635,000).
Among broadcast Networks. UFL games averaged 945,000 viewers through the championship game.
Among cable networks, UFL games averaged 630,000 viewers.
Analysis:
The UFL Championship had a lot of things working against it. Besides not being in a natural prime time slot (5 pm ET) and taking place on Father's Day, the game itself was arguably the least competitive of the entire UFL 2024 season.
Those factors could've limited the game's overall viewership ceiling, but the game still delivered. The UFL's title game served as a chance to impress the casual and mainstream football fans who perhaps weren't along for the entire ride. From that end, the league didn't produce the quality it had all season. But it definitely generated more eyeballs and attention.
Overall, the 2024 UFL season was a success in year-to-year growth from the USFL and XFL. Spring pro football has developed a respectable floor in on-field quality and overall viewership. The question going into 2025 is whether the UFL can break through and reach a higher ceiling. The answer may determine whether there will be a 2026 season.
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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MIKE MITCHELL