The original XFL also had a strongly rated Week 1, but the Alliance of American Football is off to a good start.
Saturday’s AAF debut, which featured a pair of games on CBS, registered a 2.1 rating, according to Sports Business Journal, a strong start for a league that hopes to capture football fans’ attention during the NFL offseason. For comparison, ESPN contended ABC’s NBA primetime game between the Thunder and Rockets also received a 2.1 (while other reports scored it a 2.0). Either way, the AAF made a promising dent.
The league’s action continues Sunday and lasts 10 weeks. Viewers’ curiosity of an indirect NFL competitor surely helped early ratings; now we’ll find out if the AAF can keep those eyeballs and attract more.