AAF opened on CBS, then mostly retreated to FS1, FS2, and CBS Sports Network.

XFL is going to have games on ABC, FOX, and ESPN every week. An occasional game on FS1 or ESPN2, which are secondary cable channels but still majorly outpace CBSSN and FS2.

It will be interesting to see how much the ratings drop as the novelty wears off. But the XFL aggressively courted major TV networks for this purpose, and the XFL gave the networks the content for free. Will be interesting see if this short-term loss allows the league to develop enough of a following that the XFL can ask networks to pay for the broadcast rights in 3-4 years.