UFL Holds Up Well Against Caitlin Clark, Final Four, WrestleMania
The debut weekend ratings for the UFL were – fine?
As was the viewership for Week 2, this past weekend. The ratings are as follows:
- San Antonio Brahmas at Memphis Showboats, Noon ET (ESPN): 718k viewers on Saturday, April 6
- Arlington Renegades at St. Louis Battlehawks, 8 p.m. ET (ABC): 903k viewers on Sunday, April 7
- Birmingham Stallions at Michigan Panthers, noon (ESPN): 903k viewers on Sunday, April 7.
- Houston Roughnecks at D.C. Defenders,4 p.m. (FOX): 849k viewers on Sunday, April 7
The four windows averaged 1.181 million, 1.349 million, 960k, and 703k viewers, respectively, in Week 1.
Granted, the competition was even tougher this past. The sports weekend included the men's NCAA Final Four, a record-breaking WrestleMania event (featuring The Rock), and a women’s NCAA basketball championship game that averaged 18.7 million viewers.
Any honest broker would have to agree the UFL held up quite well to its more prestigious sports counterparts.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: Members of the DC Defenders walk off the field at half against the Houston Roughnecks at Audi Field on April 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/UFL/Getty Images)
The competition softens this upcoming weekend. But only some. While there's no college basketball or WrestleMania, there is the Masters Tournament.
Then the NBA playoffs the weekend after. And the NFL Draft is the next.
We argued last week that the UFL would be best to move the start of the season next year to the weekend following the Super Bowl, the typical start date for previous spring football leagues.
Of course, the UFL could not launch in February this year due to the timing of the merger, thus pitting its opening weekend up against some of the stiffest competition in sports.
Still, all factors considered, early returns for the UFL are more promising than discouraging.