The 3.0 version of the XFL has not lived up to the 2.0 version, at least in the ratings department.
The ratings for the opening week of the year in February were pretty good, but week 2 ratings took a huge dip. The numbers from this past weekend did not drop off a cliff, but the numbers still declined.
In total, the Week 3 XFL games averaged 571,500 viewers. Week 2 averaged 665,000. Week 1 averaged 1.3 million.
The numbers have called for the league to make a huge decision. Per ProFootballTalk, the XFL and ESPN have announced that next Thursday’s game between the Houston Roughnecks and Seattle Sea Dragons will be moved from FX to ESPN. That won’t be the only movement.
The March 25 game between Seattle and Orlando is being moved from ESPN to ABC, while the March 27 game between Houston and D.C. is moving from FX to ESPN2.
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The Alliance of American Football and the USFL suffered the same type of ratings decline as the season went on. Fans will only be invested when they found out these leagues will be sustainable for years, and not just one. It can be argued the 2.0 version of the XFL would be widely successful right now if not for the global pandemic that forced it to close its doors.
For now, the 3.0 version is trying everything it can to get eyes on the league and keep them there. Growing pains will happen, but as long as the product continues to be good, the fans will show up and tune in.
