The UFL TV ratings are in from the league's 2025 kickoff weekend. The long-since merged XFL-USFL league launched its second campaign with two games on FOX and a doubleheader on ESPN Sunday.
UFL 2025 Kickoff Weekend TV Ratings On FOX/ESPN
Friday Night On FOX, March 28
Friday Night’s UFL 2025 primetime opener on FOX featured the St. Louis Battlehawks at the Houston Roughnecks. It aired at 8 p.m. ET and averaged 690,000 viewers. The telecast peaked at 844,000 viewers during the first 15 minutes of the game. The game's final half hour of the Battlehawks 31-6 victory saw viewership dip to 554,000 viewers. The 18-49 viewership demo scored a 0.15 rating.
Last year's UFL opening game on Saturday, March 30, which didn't go directly against four NCAA tournament games, averaged 1.181 million viewers.
The competition for the UFL on Friday night was formidable. In the same window, the NCAA's March Madness Sweet 16 matchups averaged over 7 million viewers on CBS and nearly 3 million viewers on TBS. The World Figure Skating Championships on NBC averaged 1.73 million viewers. ABC's Shark Tank and 20/20 averaged 2.4 million viewers during prime time. The UFL was also outpaced by several cable shows in the evening, including WWE's Smackdown on the USA Network, which averaged 1.35 million viewers. The NCAA Women's tournament averaged 1.41 million on UFL's broadcast partner, ESPN.
Saturday Afternoon on FOX, March 29
The UFL's Saturday afternoon game on FOX, featuring the San Antonio Brahmas and Arlington Renegades, averaged 584,000 viewers. The 3 p.m. eastern telecast peaked at its conclusion with 673,000 viewers.
Sunday Afternoon UFL Doubleheader on ESPN, March 30
The noon ET UFL ESPN telecast of the Memphis Showboats and Michigan Panthers averaged 569,000 viewers. The game peaked at 746,000 viewers.
Week 1's UFL finale between the league champion Birmingham Stallions and D.C. Defenders averaged 395,000 viewers. The game peaked at 460,000 viewers.
Takeaway: Comparing the UFL's opening week numbers from this year to last would be an unfair equivalency. The 2025 UFL kickoff weekend encountered the heart of the storm, a competitive disadvantage that should subside in the next few weeks. Nevertheless, it's a disheartening start for a league trying to take its next step of growth, a significant one that saw a year ago.
Week 2 UFL TV Schedule
| Matchup | Date, time | Location | How to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Stallions at Michigan Panthers | Friday, April 4 at 8 p.m. ET | Ford Field (Detroit, MI) | FOX |
| Memphis Showboats at DC Defenders | Saturday, April 5 at 8 p.m. ET | Audi Field (Washington, DC) | ABC |
| Houston Roughnecks at Arlington Renegades | Sunday, April 6, at noon ET | Choctaw Stadium (Arlington, TX) | ESPN |
| San Antonio Brahmas at St. Louis Battlehawks | Sunday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. | The Dome at America’s Center (St. Louis, MO) | FS1 |