UFL Debut Ratings Were -- Fine?

The UFL, a league that merged the latest incarnations of the XFL and the United States Football League, debuted over the weekend. Here are the ratings for the first week, consisting of four games:

• Birmingham Stallions at Arlington Renegades, 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 30 (FOX): 1.181 million viewers
• St. Louis Battlehawks at Michigan Panthers, 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 30 (FOX): 1.349 million viewers
• D.C. Defenders at San Antonio Brahmas, noon ET  on Sunday, March 31 (ESPN): 960k viewers
• Memphis Showboats at Houston Roughnecks, 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 31 (ESPN): 703k viewers

Note: the interest on the second day was not necessarily down, as the ratings suggest. 

The Saturday games aired on Fox, a broadcast network, compared to ESPN, a cable network. Broadcast networks air in far more homes across the country.

For perspective, the 1.2 million viewers the UFL averaged on Fox is about on par with what the NBA (albeit the low end) and MLB draw on broadcast television during the regular season. 

The UFL will take that number.

Of course, as the previous five or so failed spring leagues have proven, the fate of the UFL is contingent upon not where it debuts but where it settles.

SAN ANTONIO - Justin Smith of the San Antonio Brahmas enters the field before the start of their game against the DC Defenders at Alamodome on March 31. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/UFL/Getty Images)

Previous spring leagues – like the XFL 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 – all started strong but saw viewership dwindle by as much as half by the end of the first season. 

That said, the interest of the UFL is trickier to gauge. Most other spring leagues launched following the Super Bowl, sometimes the next week, to capitalize on the habit Americans have of spending their weekends glued to several football matchups. 

The UFL could not launch in February due to the timing of the merger. Rather, it debuted head-to-head with the NCAA tournament, a hot television product.

Undoubtedly, college basketball and opening weekend of MLB hindered the would-be curiosity in the new football league. As will be the case next week when Week 2 goes head-to-head with the Final Four.

Considering those factors, the UFL held up well with the opening games of the XFL (on ABC) and the USFL (Fox) last season, which averaged 1.54 million and 850,000 viewers, respectively.

It may not be until Week 3, when the tournament is no longer, that curious casual sports fans check out the UFL product. 

But it best impress fast. Week 4 runs parallel with the start of the NBA playoffs.

The UFL would be wise to rearrange its start date next season, avoiding busy basketball weekends.

Let us know your interest in the UFL this season.