UFL 2024 Week 9 TV Ratings on FOX/ABC
The United Football League experienced highs and lows in TV viewership a week ago. On the plus side, the league netted its best overall viewership on ABC in 2024 with 1.1 million viewers for the St. Louis Battlehawks vs the D.C. Defenders. On the negative side, the UFL's other three showings on FOX and ESPN 2 faced stiff competition on Mother's Day weekend and didn't fare as well. The two games on FOX averaged just over 600,000 viewers, and ESPN2 scored the second lowest-rated rating for a UFL telecast this season. (254k).
Overall, the last two weeks of UFL games (643k average) haven't produced in the ratings like the league did earlier this year. Did the league bounce back in Week 9 as they edge toward the playoffs?
2024 UFL Week 9 TV Ratings (Average Viewership)
Saturday, May 25
- St. Louis Battlehawks at Arlington Renegades, noon ET (ABC): 886,000 viewers
- Birmingham Stallions at San Antonio Brahmas, 3 pm. (ABC): 1,072,000 viewers
Sunday, May 26
- D.C. Defenders at Memphis Showboats/Michigan Panthers at Houston Roughnecks (1-7), 2:30 pm ET (FOX Regionalized Window): 800,000 viewers
Overall
The 3 UFL windows on FOX, and ABC averaged 919,000 viewers in Week 9. A huge jump from the last two weeks.
- Up 38% over last year’s respective Week 9 average for the USFL and XFL of 662,000 viewers.
The 33 UFL telecasts are averaging 816,000 viewers through Week 9
- 31% better than last year’s average for all regular season USFL and XFL games through Week 9 (624,000).
Among broadcast networks, UFL is averaging 916,000 viewers.
Analysis:
The UFL bounced back in the ratings after two average weeks in viewership for the most part.
Only seven games remain in the 2024 UFL season. Five of them are highly important for those following the league weekly. But the true measure in the league's ceiling is the ability to attract the casual viewer.
How the league fares in viewership when the playoffs and championship game arrive will be a telltale sign. Can the UFL peak when its games offer their highest value in interest?
The final weekend of the UFL regular season features a preview of the league's conference games next week. On Saturday, Michigan and Birmingham are squaring off for the one seed in the USFL, but due to a scheduling conflict, a home playoff game is not at stake. It's a different story on the XFL side. The Battlehawks and Brahmas meet with the winner hosting the following week. Both games, particularly the latter, have a chance to score high ratings.
The final Sunday of the UFL regular season slate has less intrigue, though the league's brain trust has attached some drama to a 1-8 showdown between Memphis and Houston. The winner will get the first selection in every round of the 2025 UFL Draft. Whether or not the added stipulation generates interest for Sunday night's finale on FOX is debatable.
2024 UFL Week 10 Broadcast Schedule
Saturday, June 1
- Michigan Panthers (7-2) at Birmingham Stallions (8-1), noon (ESPN)
- San Antonio Brahmas (7-2) at St. Louis Battlehawks (6-3), 4 pm. (FOX)
Sunday, June 2
- Arlington Renegades (2-7) at D.C. Defenders (4-5), noon (ABC)
- Houston (1-8) at Memphis Showboats (1-8), 7 p.m. (FOX)
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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MIKE MITCHELL