The eighth week of the UFL season presented a thrilling display of football, but the accompanying television ratings reflect a nuanced picture. Mike Mitchell reports on the weekend’s performance, indicating varying levels of viewer engagement.
On Friday night, the matchup between Memphis and San Antonio, despite both teams having a dismal 1-6 record, attracted a respectable audience of 573,000 viewers on FOX. The game, which went into overtime, even peaked at 688,000 viewers in the final quarter, breaking a trend of declining interest during early game segments.
The dual broadcast on Saturday featuring Birmingham vs. St. Louis and Michigan vs. Memphis did not fare as well, recording just 591,000 viewers. This outcome suggests that simultaneous broadcasts do not necessarily enhance viewer numbers, a trend evident in earlier weeks.
However, the weekend peaked on Sunday with a remarkable showdown between Arlington and DC, which drew an impressive average of 973,000 viewers on ABC, significantly bolstered by over 1.2 million viewers in the game’s thrilling second half. Unfortunately, the final moments had to be shifted to ESPN2 due to NBA coverage, which may have impacted the overall viewership.
Thanks to ABC’s strong ratings, the overall average viewership for week eight climbed to 710,000 per game, a notable increase from the 581,000 viewers per game reported in week seven. This marks the strongest week of the season thus far, indicating a positive trend for the league.
As the season approaches its conclusion, with the playoffs already determined, the question remains whether casual fans will maintain their interest. The excitement displayed in this week’s matches could serve as a strong incentive for viewers to continue tuning in, even with predictable outcomes.
What are your thoughts on this week’s UFL TV ratings? Feel free to share in the comments or engage with others in the conversation on Discord!