By Adam Bernard
The XFL's big ratings were short lived, to say the least. Just one week after its debut, the XFL saw a 50% ratings drop off, from a 10.3 to a 5.1. The league also went from beating
ABC, CBS, and FOX, to losing to all three. Even a double overtime game between Los Angeles and Chicago only gave them a small boost between 11pm and 11:30pm. Ratings fell during each increment until
the overtimes, when it jumped 25%.
Such a significant drop off is reminiscent of the old United States Football League, which also tried to compete with the NFL. It too had a 50% drop off in
viewership from week one to week two, and never made it to a fourth season.
Interestingly enough, the Internet ratings report for the week ending February 4 from Nielsen//NetRatings, shows that
traffic to XFL.com rocketed 224%, making it the third fastest growing site at home during the week of its first season. The site attracted 463,000 unique visitors, as compared to 143,000 visitors the
week prior. Eighty-seven percent of the audience were male surfers, and 13% were female. "The XFL is attempting to establish a solid brand, hoping to take a page from the play-book of its co-owner,
the World Wrestling Federation," said Allen Weiner, vice president of analytical services, NetRatings. "The WWF has successfully used the Web to promote wrestling and the XFL seems poised to make the
same impact online. The inaugural XFL telecasts and the initial popularity of XFL.com are early examples of TV and Web convergence, and how the two can work together."
It seems the XFL is doing a
good job at counting its chickens before they're hatched, as TV ratings showed quite the different story from what Weiner told. It seems people are interested enough to take a peek into what's going
on with a quick visit to the site, but don't care enough to tune in to see what is essentially minor league football.
Saturday was a huge indicator for the league, as the NBA wasn't even playing
games that night, only celebrating their All-Star Game with events such as their annual 3 point, and Slam Dunk competitions.
- Adam Bernard may be reached at AdamBernard@mediapost.com