OSC Weekly Ratings Wrapup
by David Carlson
Published on March 11, 2020 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
XFL Week 5 Ratings bring first audiences under one million total viewers
Week 5 of XFL ratings decreased in certain time slots, including the first games on Sunday (as predicted) with under one million total viewers each. The only constant timeslot for the XFL all season, though, Saturday at 2pm on ABC, has shown some signs of leveling off, although this week is the calm before the storm of conference and NCAA basketball tournaments that will ratchet up the competition for sports viewers.
In a positive turn for the league, the ABC game was effectively the same in total viewers and the demo rating, and finished slightly up in number of households.
The late Sunday game saw some slippage despite moving from ESPN2 to ESPN this week, although it was also a 9pm ET timeslot vs. 7pm last week. It also drew significantly more viewers than its lead-in, a Major League Soccer match (see below).
Week 5 vs. Week 4 by timeslot (All Viewers/18-49/HH):
| Time Slot | Week 4 | Week 5 | Diff. |
| Sat 2p | ABC (1.56m/504k/1.01) | (1.55m/496k/1.05) | (-1%/-2%/+3%) |
| Sat 5p | FOX (1.81m/605k/1.11) | (1.48m/531k/0.94) | (-39%/-13%/-16%) |
| Sun 4p/3p | FS1 (1.11m/493k/0.64) | (767k/277k/0.48) | (-31%/-44%/-25%) |
| Sun 7p/9p | ESPN2 (1.03m/445k/0.63) | ESPN (833k/430k/0.54) | (-20%/-3%/-15%) |
Will the XFL become the most-watched program ever on FS2?
Prior to the season starting, it appeared the FS2 week 6 game could become the most-watched event on FS2 ever. While that could still happen, considering the FS1 game this week dipped to 767,000 viewers, it isn't out of the question that a game on FS2 could finish short of the mark.
Known most-watched FS2 programs (over 350k viewers):
| Sat | 7/9/16 | 8pm | UFC Prelims | .30/582k |
| Sat | 4/22/17 | 10pm | UFC Fight | .18/430k |
| Fri | 11/10/17 | 10:30p | PAC 12 FB | .14/391k |
| Sat | 6/18/16 | 10:30p | UFC Fight | .16/369k |
MLS gets nearly 400k viewers in ESPN primetime
The MLS match on ESPN Sunday night notched 399k viewers and a 0.17 demo rating, a fairly decent showing for the league, although it wasn't up against any XFL games at the time, and the XFL game that followed it on ESPN received double the ratings. An MLS match on Telemundo's sports channel also ranked on Saturday, with a .04 demo and 101,000 viewers.
Last Week's OSC Leagues Ratings Summary (18-49 demo rating/total viewers):
| 3/7 | 2p | XFL | ABC | .38/1.55m |
| 3/7 | 3:30p | MLS | TUDN | .04/101k |
| 3/7 | 5p | XFL | FOX | .40/1.48m |
| 3/8 | 3p | XFL | FS1 | .21/767k |
| 3/8 | 6p | MLR | CBSSN | Not Nielsen Ranked |
| 3/8 | 7p | MLS | ESPN | .17/399k |
| 3/8 | 9p | XFL | ESPN | .33/833k |
| 3/8 | 10:30p | MLS | FS1 | .07/124k |
OSC Leagues on TV in the coming week:
| 3/10 | 8p | MLS | FS1 | (CONCAF Champs Lg.) |
| 3/11 | 8p | MLS | FS2 | (CONCAF Champs Lg.) |
| 3/11 | 10:30p | MLS | FS2 | (CONCAF Champs Lg.) |
| 3/12 | 10:30p | MLS | FS2 | (CONCAF Champs Lg.) |
| 3/14 | 2p | XFL | ABC | |
| 3/14 | 3p | MLS | FOX | |
| 3/14 | 5p | XFL | FS2 | |
| 3/15 | 4p | XFL | FS1 | |
| 3/15 | 7p | XFL | ESPN2 | |
| 3/15 | 9p | MLR | FS2 |
Follow OSC TV and ratings discussion at https://twitter.com/OsctvR.
NOTE: Don't know what the "demo" is? Unsure of why the different ratings numbers don't match up? Read our explanation of TV ratings in our first article here.
Major League Soccer Stories from March 11, 2020
- Andres Reyes and Dylan Nealis: Debutants Takes on Their First MLS Match - Inter Miami CF
- Match Preview: Historic Home Debut against LA Galaxy - Inter Miami CF
- Earthquakes Match on March 21 to be Postponed - San Jose Earthquakes
- 3,000 Fans Enjoy Open Practice Before Home Debut against LA Galaxy - Inter Miami CF
- Major League Soccer Statement on COVID-19 - MLS
- Minnesota United Statement on Covid-19 Ahead of Home Opener on March 15 - Minnesota United FC
- Sporting KC Away Match on March 21 Postponed - Sporting Kansas City
- By the Numbers: Nani's Return - Orlando City SC
- FC Dallas Statement on the Postponement of Seattle Sounders Match on March 21 in Seattle - FC Dallas
- OSC Weekly Ratings Wrapup - OSC Original by David Carlson
- OSC Weekly Ratings Wrapup - OSC Original by David Carlson
- Sounders FC Statement on Governor Inslee Announcement - Seattle Sounders FC
- Chicago Fire FC Sign Forward Alex Monis to Homegrown Player Contract - Chicago Fire FC
- Colorado Rapids at Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Keys to the Match: March 11, 2020 - Colorado Rapids
- Nashville SC Working Towards Hitting Its Stride After 1-0 Defeat at Portland Timbers - Nashville SC
- Longtime Sporting Midfielder Benny Feilhaber Retires - Sporting Kansas City
- CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals First Leg Game Report - Club de Foot Montreal
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
