UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE (UFL) CONTINUES TO SET MILESTONES AT MIDPOINT OF INAUGURAL SEASON
Strong Television Ratings and Digital Engagement Among Highlights
United States, May 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARLINGTON, TX – May 3, 2024 – This past weekend the United Football League (UFL) reached the midpoint of its inaugural regular season. In its first five weeks, the League has captivated audiences with exciting football, groundbreaking broadcasts, and compelling content.
Russ Brandon, President and CEO, United Football League.
“As we cross over the midpoint of the first UFL regular season, we’re thrilled to see elevated engagement across our broadcast, digital and social platforms. Our fans are the core of the UFL. Their energy not only fuels the atmosphere within the stadiums but helps shape the identity and culture of our teams and the League. Thanks to the commitment from our media partners, FOX and ABC/ESPN, the dedication of our League and Team staffs, and the high level of professional gameplay from our players, we continue to prove that pro football is an integral component of the spring sports ecosystem.”
Among the 2024 Season Midpoint Highlights:
UFL Broadcast Highlights
· 18 UFL telecasts* are averaging 845,000 viewers.
· 25% better than last year’s average for all regular season USFL and XFL games through week 5.
· 38% increase over the 2023 USFL and XFL regular season average across all linear networks.
· 33% increase in viewership in the key 18-49 demographic compared to the 2023 USFL and XFL average through week 5.
· Network broadcasts are averaging 958K viewers.
· Cable telecasts are averaging 680K viewers.
· An average of 1.35 million viewers tuned in to FOX on March 30th to watch the Michigan Panthers defeat the St. Louis Battlehawks 18-16.
· Viewership across several markets compares favorably against more established NHL and NBA teams.
· ESPN’s digital studio show UFL Today’s average viewership this season through five weeks is up 33% vs. last year’s full season average.
· Engagement with UFL content across ESPN social channels is up 98% YOY from the 2023 XFL season.
· Total unique users of UFL content across ESPN.com and the ESPN App is up 156% compared to the same time in last year’s XFL season.*Average includes two regionalized broadcast windows.
Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer, FOX Sports
“The UFL is winning its place in the spring sports calendar. We are thrilled with the quality of football, the fan engagement and some truly incredible moments that have captured the nation’s attention.”
Burke Magnus, President, Content, ESPN
“The UFL has driven consistently strong viewership across ESPN platforms throughout the first half of the inaugural season. Our innovative coverage, along with the high level of play on the field, has clearly resonated with fans in a meaningful way. Spring football is on a growth trajectory, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the UFL and more success in the second half of the season.”
UFL Social Media Engagement
· 175M views across all social platforms.
· Instagram: 67M
· Facebook: 46M
· TikTok: 42M
· Twitter: 20M
· Total views have surpassed the entire season view total for the 2022 USFL season (125M views), 2023 USFL season view total (135M views) and the 2023 XFL season view total (159M views)
· 4.02M media followers
· Instagram: 1,5M
· Twitter: 852K
· TikTok: 745K
· Facebook: 652K
· Threads: 232K
· 360K new followers since the start of the season.
· In the first 5 weeks of the season, YouTube tallied 7.8M views and gained 37k subscribers, outperforming the first 5 weeks of the 2023 USFL season (800k views, 4k subscribers) and the first five weeks of the 2023 XFL season (300k views, 4k subscribers).
UFL App
· Launched on March 19, the app now has 79K active users and 4.1M screen views.
UFL Website
· Launched on December 31, 2023, theufl.com has 2.7M users and 7.9M screen views.
Attendance
· Over 250K fans have attended UFL games.
· St. Louis set the attendance record for a modern spring football league game with 40,317 at The Dome at America’s Center on April 6.
Football Metrics
· Average game time of 2:56:31
· 94.9% kickoff return rate.
· Average starting field position is the 36.1-yard line.
· Average of 42.5 points per game.
· Jake Bates' 64-yard field goal set a spring football record and is two yards short of the NFL record of 66 yards by Justin Tucker
As the League enters the second half of the regular season, the UFL remains committed to unleashing football’s power to transform futures and connect people through world-class competition, highlighted by innovation and accessibility on the field, off the field and through our media partners and digital platforms.
The 2024 UFL season will conclude with the Championship game on June 16th, hosted at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis and broadcast on FOX at 5 PM ET.
About the United Football League
The United Football League (UFL) is the premier spring football platform, formed by the merging of the XFL and USFL in 2024 under the combined ownership of RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson. The UFL has eight teams in Arlington (TX), Birmingham (AL), Detroit (MI), Houston (TX), San Antonio (TX), Memphis (TN), St. Louis (MO), and Washington D.C.
UFL Media Contacts
Jeff Altstadter, VP, Communications
973-908-9991
Bianca Gamez, Director of Communications
bianca.gamez@theufl.com
CONTACT: Jeffrey Altstadter
UFL
973-908-9991
jeff.altstadter@theufl.com