<blockquote><font size=+1><center>NBC may slam XFL</font> Network sports chief says league must improve ratings during playoff to return</center> March 26, 2001: 10:01 a.m. ET NEW YORK (CNNfn) - NBC Sports is getting close to pulling the plug on its little-watched XFL football league, according to a published report. Dick Ebersol, chairman of the network's sports unit, told the Washington Post that he wants to see numbers through the league's initial playoff season, but that it needs to show improvements to come back next year. The network has a two-year agreement with its partner in the made-for-TV league, the World Wrestling Federation Entertainment (WWF: Research, Estimates). "We all want to see it work," he told the paper. "The evidence through 75 percent of the regular season is not promising....It's going to have to show a marked swing in the ratings in the postseason for it to have a real shot beyond this year, just from an advertising standpoint." The paper said the league's overnight ratings from Saturday night's Las Vegas-Los Angeles game drew a 2.1 rating, the same as the overnight number a week ago. The national number for a week ago, released Thursday, was 1.6, which makes it the lowest-rated program on a major network in prime-time history. The national number for the most recent week also is expected to fall below the overnight rating that measures major market viewership, the paper reported. NBC, a unit of General Electric Co. (GE: Research, Estimates), turned to WWFE to start the XFL after it lost the contract to broadcast NFL games. The XFL's playoffs are set for April 14 through April 21, and Ebersol told the Post that a decision on renewing the league is due no later than late April. A spokesman for WWFE could not be reached for comment Monday. Vince McMahon, the chairman of WWFE, told the New York Times last week that the league can survive without NBC, but that it needs a national network. Besides NBC some of the games are carried on upstart network UPN, which is owned by CBS-owner Viacom (VIA: Research, Estimates). "I hope NBC steps up with us, but if they can't, they can't," McMahon told the Times. "We won't hold their feet to the fire. We won't point fingers. A deal has to work for both partners." But, he added: "If we have no network TV partner, we have no league. We've had preliminary talks with UPN, and they are interested." Shares of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment gained 65 cents to $12.75 in early trading Monday. </blockquote> ------------------ All your hoes are belong to us [This message has been edited by Vengeance (edited March 26, 2001).]
I hope so....what a farce! ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
If a bad football league dies and noone is there to watch it happen, will Vince McMahon make a sound? ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before.
LOL This really brings to mind the horrible way this league was handled. Before the season started, and in the first week of games the XFL was talking smack about how it was a better product that the NFL and that the NFL should watch out. I remember Jesse Ventura yelling about how "THE NFL SAYS THE XFL IS A NON-ISSUE. THAT IS TOTAL DISRESPECT TO THE PLAYERS AND THE FANS OF THE XFL. THE NFL HAD BETTER WATCH OUT BECAUSE THE XFL IS AN ISSUE AND IT'S HERE TO TAKE OVER THE NFL!". The following weeks, the XFL's tune changed and they said that the XFL was not in competition with the NFL and so it didn't matter. This will go down in history as one of the worst business moves ever, imo. VINCE MCMAHON -- YOU'RE A NON-ISSUE! ------------------ All your hoes are belong to us
Awww poor NBC!!!! Worst ratings for a prime-time show ever I'm so happy we got an expansion team in the NFL. There was talk of a XFL team in Houston. NBC lost the bidding war for the NFL so they thought they could create another league...I guess they didn't learn from the USFL and WLAF. CFL is more exciting than the XFL. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Smokey (edited March 26, 2001).]
THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!! I watched a total of 10 minutes....what a bomb.... ------------------ "Chucky who?" Charles Barkley
Yes, and if they do, they need to not only bring the XFL, but the Lakers too! ------------------ There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
