Strong Start For The XFL

Vince McMahon's new American football league the XFL launched on Saturday as the DC Defenders took on the Seattle Dragons. The new league was widely praised by both fans and pundits alike for its broadcasting innovations, whereby viewers could hear the replay official talk to the referee during reviews, instant sideline interviews with players, and hearing head coaches call plays, which were then relayed to the offence by the quarterback. Rule changes from the NFL were also applauded for creating a faster, safer game of American football.

This praise and intrigue translated into a strong start for the XFL as its debut game attracted 3.3 million viewers on ABC, peaking at 4 million during the fourth quarter. This was higher than the Alliance Of American Football's introduction last year, which garnered a viewership of 2.9 million in prime time.

The XFL's healthy start looks set to continue as team merchandise sold very well over the weekend, with most franchise's hats having sold out and t-shirts were only available in smaller sizes. Ticket sales were also strong as Executive Producer of The Action Network Darren Rovell reported that ticket sales revenue had already surpassed that of the AAF.

Rovell tweeted: "The XFL, before kickoff, has already surpassed ticket sales revenue for the entire season of the AAF."