XFL TV ratings 2023: Week 1 viewership takes massive hit as league re-debuts

The XFL is back, but the viewers are not.

The spring football league is back for a third try this year, after the last iteration was torpedoed by the coronavirus pandemic, and the debut season in 2001 was torpedoed by Vince McMahon.

While the league's initial return in 2020 was met with much intrigue, viewers may wait to see how the latest version develops. According to Sports Media Watch, the first four windows of this year's Week 1 games saw a 50 percent decline in viewership from the same window three years ago, not exactly a positive sign.

What makes matters a bit worse is that the total viewers for this year's XFL games didn't match the debuts of the AAF in 2019 or the USFL's return last year.

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There's still time for viewers to plug back in, but consider it a slow start for the league. Here's what to know about the ratings for the league's restart:

XFL TV ratings 2023

On the re-debut of the XFL, the league's TV ratings down in a pretty big way, according to Sports Media Watch.

The league's first game of the 2023 slate, the Vipers vs. Renegades, drew 1.54 million viewers on average, which is down from the 3.3 million viewers who caught the league's re-debut game, Sea Dragons vs. Defenders on Feb. 8, 2020. 

Another somewhat troubling sign is that the league hasn't drawn a similar viewership to other leagues in recent years. The USFL's 2022 debut, which came on April 16 last year featuring a matchup between the Birmingham Stallions and the New Jersey Generals, drew 3.07 average viewers, per SMW.

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The second ABC game of the day drew 1.57 million viewers, which was the most-watched game of the day. That number, though, still pales in comparison to their similar-window game in 2020, which drew 3.39 million viewers.

Here's how the ratings break down for Week 1:

• Week 1 (Feb. 19)