Ratings tumble again in XFL

David Bauder

Wednesday, March 21, 2001 | 10:34 a.m.

NEW YORK -- How low can the XFL go? To history-making depths, much to NBC's chagrin.

Saturday's telecast of XFL football on NBC scored a 1.6 rating, believed to be the lowest-ever prime-time night among the big three networks in Nielsen Media Research history.

Researchers could only find one other single prime-time program to match it -- an ABC News special on drug policy that aired on Aug. 30, 1997, also scoring a 1.6.

But Saturday's primary XFL game, featuring the Las Vegas Outlaws and the Birmingham Bolts, blew out NBC's entire prime-time. As a result, NBC finished third in the ratings for the week, although the network managed to pull out a win in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic it targets.

Saturday's XFL game was particularly hurt by CBS' broadcast of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. With 10.2 million viewers on Saturday, the basketball audience was five times that of football.

XFL founder Vince McMahon brazenly predicted before the season during an interview with reporters at Sam Boyd Stadium that more people would end up watching the XFL rather than the NCAA Tournament.

"We knew we were going up against some strong competition," Las Vegas Outlaws general manager Bob Ackles said. "But it's disappointing.

"I know our ratings were much higher in Las Vegas."

NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said Tuesday that he didn't expect the plug to be pulled on the XFL before the season, which has five more games, is complete. Zucker wouldn't comment on its status beyond this year; NBC has planned to bring it back next year.

"It's always a concern anytime something like that happens, but we're still forging ahead," Ackles said. "The XFL and NBC have indicated they're in it for the long haul.

"It's not something that's going to make them fold their tent and leave."

A rating point represents 1,022,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 102.2 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.