The Spring League: Week Two TV Ratings On FOX/FS1

The Spring League kicked off the second week of their six-week regular season this past Saturday afternoon on FOX. A game played at Lucas Oil Stadium, which saw the Alphas prevail over the Conquerors 26-21.

Thus far, The Spring League has seen an improvement in their overall league play from last fall. But from a league growth standpoint, the most significant improvement made has been in TSL’s overall exposure. In week one, The Spring League’s TV ratings took an enormous leap from where they were in 2020.

For Week 1 of the 2021 TSL season, games on FOX and FS1 averaged 275,000 viewers, a +817% increase over last season’s average of 30,000 viewers on FS1. (Numbers courtesy of FOX Sports)

Here are the ratings figures from week one. Starting with the first three Spring League Football telecasts on FS1.

Alphas-Aviators, the first game of FS1’s Thursday night Spring League Football doubleheader (5/6), posted 95,000 viewers, a 217% jump from the 30,000 viewers the league averaged on the network last fall.  

Conquerors-Linemen, the second game of the doubleheader on FS1, scored 51,000 viewers, up 70% from the 30,000 viewers the league averaged on the network last fall. 

Friday night’s Blues-Sea Lions game (5/7) averaged 114,000 viewers, up 280% from the 30,000 viewers the league averaged on the network last fall.

Saturday’s TSL debut on FOX between the Generals & Jousters drew 380,000 viewers, a 0.24 household rating with 97,000 viewers in the 18-49 demo.

The big question going into week two of the TSL season was whether or not the Spring League could build upon their ratings from a week ago. With a limited promotional budget, TSL would have to rely on word of mouth to see an increase in viewership from week one to two.

With that in mind, Here are the official ratings for this past Saturday’s Spring League game on FOX.

FOX’s Spring League Football telecast posted 448,000 viewers for the Alpha’s 26-21 win over the Conquerors, up 18% vs. last week’s performance of 380,000 viewers for the Generals and the Jousters.

Quick Take:

• As they become available, this article will be updated with the ratings totals for all of TSL’s week two games on

Monday’s TSL game on FS1, the Sea Lions downed the Generals 17-13, and that game delivered 106,000 viewers, up 253% from last year’s TSL average (30,000).

The SFL game that was postponed due to weather on Monday and moved to Tuesday saw the Jousters rout the Blues 28-7, and that game delivered 50,000 viewers, up 67% from last year’s SFL average (30,000).

The Spring League’s FOX rating in week two is very encouraging. Sometimes, it pays to start with modest numbers and lower expectations. Nowhere to go but up from The Spring League’s 30,000 viewer average last fall on FS1. And now starting at 380,000 viewers in the opening week on FOX and adding 68,000 viewers in week two is a very positive sign. All things considered.

TSL’s numbers on FS1 are not as important as their FOX number. The league has to produce respectable numbers on network television to justify their presence and the real estate they inhabit on FOX. So while 448,000 viewers may not seem like a lot, it’s actually a decent ballpark to be in on afternoons during the Spring. Especially considering the current sports TV landscape and how established leagues perform in terms of overall viewership. TSL is not that far off.

The Spring League, as an entity, is in baby steps mode. They are starting small and hoping to one day be a fully-fledged developmental league, complete with teams in existing markets—one step at a time, but so far, so good.