When we start to understand why the XFL failed, and how the UFL learned from that, we must first remember that 50 percent of the XFL was owned by NBC, and the cable TV market was a lot different way back in 2001. Now days, the television audience has been severely fragmented and the low TV numbers that cost the XFL its spot on NBC may be perfectly acceptable for a cable channel like Versus.
The very first XFL game, played Feb. 3, 2001 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas between the New York/New Jersey Hitmen and the Las Vegas Outlaws drew in 14 million viewers. The final XFL game the Championship game Los Angeles Xtreme and the San Francisco Demons managed just over two million viewers. That is a sharp decline that the UFL will have to avoid.
Along the way, the XFL produced the worst rated prime-time TV broadcast on a major television network in history. The real lesson here though is the league was unable to retain...
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