TV ideas

XFL Football discussion.
MGB01
MVP
Posts: 3313
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 pm

TV ideas

Post by MGB01 »

With the NHL schedule coming out the other day it's easier to figure out where the XFL will fit in. The release didn't have TV along with it, but a look at the game times kind of give a clue. Warning: get ready for lots of Pens/Rangers/Bruins on ABC.

ESPN/ESPN2 (or both) should be OK for Sunday since neither really has tons of college basketball on that day. This will change during the women's tournament.

FX would ideally be reserved for a UBF-type show or maybe those weekly pre-shows that ran on Youtube in 2020. Much like the one week where X2.0 was shuttered to FS2 this could be a problem. The FX of Disney is long way behind the Sons of Anarchy days.

And I'm testing my backup game strategy on ABC, X1-style (though to me it's still more a 12-16 team league deal, it might work here)

So without further ado:

WEEK 1
Sat 3:00 ABC
Sun TBA ESPN/ESPN2

Amended from earlier post as NHL goes primetime on ABC with Caps/Canes at CFS, possible Sunday as well (Oilers/Avs in Denver for first time since WCF) kicks XFL over to ESPN and/or ESPN2

WEEKS 2-4
Sat 12:00 ABC
Sun TBA ESPN/ESPN2

The undesirable moving timeslots are here, but it is what it is. This one pairs up with NHL afterwards, and not exactly a true tripleheader either (NBA) since the interim hours go back to the affiliates, but from an exposure standpoint this would be good.

Note week 4 could be really all over the place, with ABC blocking out the entire Sunday for Oscars coverage (minus local and ABC News) and ESPN doing NCAA coverage all day--two championship games and the selection show. Could be an ESPN2 doubleheader.

WEEKS 5-6
Sat/Sun 3:00 ABC
Sun TBA FX

Yes, XFL on ABC both Saturday and Sunday with the NHL going prime time--Pens both weeks. ABC carried the women's tournament in 2021 and 2022 (although the latter scaled down due to the Oscars and NHL), this time it's all back on ESPN and ESPN2. FX makes its game debut here, which may be a necessary evil--thus the extra ABC game to compensate.

WEEKS 7-8
Sat 12:00 ABC
Sun TBA ESPN/ESPN2

And we're back to our week 2-4 schedule. A week 7 wildcard could be April 2 the first Sunday of the MLB season, likely afternoon games for both ESPN and ESPN2 with Sunday night baseball and the women's championship taking the night. It might also show up on Sunday 4/8 as Masters' counterprogramming on ABC as it was set to do in 2020.

WEEKS 9-10
Sat 3:00 ABC
Sun TBA ESPN/ESPN2

And here we go with our first XFL/USFL head-to-head (although I'm pretty sure in the end the "rivalry" will be more IFL/NAL than the pro football version of the Monday Night Wars). The XFL takes over the NHL's spot with their season over, while ABC will once again begin their NBA playoff coverage in prime time. Same deal with the second week, as ABC's game is on Friday, leaving Saturday open.

PLAYOFFS
Sun TBA ESPN/ESPN2

With ABC and ESPN doing the draft Saturday's out, leaving both games on Sunday.

X-BOWL (Seattle, WA)
Sun 3:00 ESPN

As it was to be in 2020 (other than location, see what I did there?)

Disclaimer: this is what I'd go with, nothing more.
Last edited by MGB01 on Mon Jul 18, 2022 3:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Gopher123
Quarterback
Posts: 395
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2021 7:07 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by Gopher123 »

THE X BOWL. I like that. It beats just calling it the championship game.
GDAWG
MVP
Posts: 2885
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:15 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by GDAWG »

It will be interesting to see how the XFL does against March Madness since that is a huge deal, at least for the first weekend.
MGB01
MVP
Posts: 3313
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by MGB01 »

Possibility does exist they ape FOX and go all noon on Saturdays, which would pretty much eliminate Seattle and Vegas for gamedays (of course that didn't stop FOX from adding LA to the Big Noon league, but one at a time here)
GDAWG wrote: Sat Jul 09, 2022 12:07 am It will be interesting to see how the XFL does against March Madness since that is a huge deal, at least for the first weekend.
Never know what'll happen, on the first Saturday CBS started fairly strong with UNC/Baylor, Creighton/Kansas, and Michigan/Tennessee. Then thanks to UK's annual disinterest (they are inspired enough to play once every few years) they got St. Peter's in prime time--they might have wanted that one back.
Sounder
Coach
Posts: 697
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:04 am

Re: TV ideas

Post by Sounder »

I mentioned this on Reddit.....hear me out.....
Single out one Week 1 game, I'd select St. Louis as the venue for obvious reasons (good attendance, dome venue)....to play a 1pm eastern, 10 am pacific game on Super Bowl Sunday on ABC. You already have a huge audience gathered up, gearing for the big game, but they don't get around to kickoff until about 6:45 pm eastern, so instead of four to five hours of pregame.....let's have the "XFL Super Kickoff Special" on ABC one week prior to the scheduled openers. If it works and you pull a huge number....that might set the tone.
GregParks
UFLBoard Correspondent
Posts: 2095
Joined: Tue May 28, 2019 8:09 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by GregParks »

The XFL would probably like that idea as it would give them max exposure. Despite the XFL's relationship with the NFL, I'm thinking the NFL wouldn't be hot on the idea. They don't really like anyone interfering with their Super Bowl festivities and pre-game pomp and circumstance. The game would also have the potential to be lost in all the Super Bowl hype and aftermath, which is probably not what you want for your initial kickoff.
@gregmparks
MGB01
MVP
Posts: 3313
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by MGB01 »

Well it does sort of match my idea of the XFL leading off on ABC, except not on Super Bowl Sunday (ABC usually has NBA). With the exception of possibly going primetime in week 1 I put them as leadoff at either 12 or 3 depending on events calendar, but yeah televising preseason games themselves in an alt league (usually not done) is a hard sell much less trying to grab the Super Bowl for it.
User avatar
johnnyangryfuzzball
Head Coach
Posts: 1855
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:22 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by johnnyangryfuzzball »

MGB01 wrote: Sat Jul 16, 2022 8:24 pm Well it does sort of match my idea of the XFL leading off on ABC, except not on Super Bowl Sunday (ABC usually has NBA). With the exception of possibly going primetime in week 1 I put them as leadoff at either 12 or 3 depending on events calendar, but yeah televising preseason games themselves in an alt league (usually not done) is a hard sell much less trying to grab the Super Bowl for it.
That, and as we saw with the USFL, the networks themselves are using the preseason to experiment and test their product just like the teams are. Chances are they don't want that work going out to the public.

Best case scenario as far as seeing preseason games is maybe they show up on demand on ESPN+/ESPN3 after the first regular season game kicks off.
MGB01
MVP
Posts: 3313
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by MGB01 »

Updated to include week 1 adjustment, giving league a shot at opening in Vegas without an NHL overlap (Golden Knights play Lightning that night) which would be preferably avoidable. Hell, we might even get Levy to do both as he did with Kraken/Seahawks last year (although if they do Oilers/Avs Sunday that's pushing it)
MGB01
MVP
Posts: 3313
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 pm

Re: TV ideas

Post by MGB01 »

Bumped for today's NBA schedule release, which has the interesting twist of ABC's last game scheduled for March 11. The addition of some games (Bucks/Heat before Wildcard Saturday, then a tripleheader before Championship Sunday) is presumably included to compensate.

Now there are some blocks: The next day is the rather annoying Oscar Sunday (which I believe actually might have overtaken the Super Bowl in coverage); the next week is the women's tournament, which ABC went all in on two years ago before scaling back last year, as I said that could have been placeholder until the league's return; then the next two Sundays open before their playoff coverage starts. The NHL season ends roughly about the same time, ABC didn't have any playoff games before the Stanley Cup and with the SC on TNT this year we'll see if that changes.

Might revise it later, of course it would help if the NHL finally releases their TV--only about a month after the schedule came out
Post Reply