Publications
Publications
  • July 2002
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

Introducing ... The XFL!

By: Susan M. Fournier, Stephen A. Greyser and Seth Schulman
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:20
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Abstract

When the XFL professional football league debuted on February 3, 2001, it generated a Nielsen rating of 10.1, higher than any nationally televised program in a Saturday evening time slot. The next week, ratings plummeted, and by week nine the XFL game earned the title as the lowest rated sports event in television history. Co-owners WWFE and NBC officially disbanded the XFL on May 10, 2001. What went wrong? How could two seasoned and respected figures in entertainment--WWFE's Vince McMahon and NBC's Dick Ebersol--have miscalculated so badly?

Keywords

Advertising; Forecasting and Prediction; Product Positioning; Consumer Behavior; Product Development; Culture; Commercialization

Citation

Fournier, Susan M., Stephen A. Greyser, and Seth Schulman. "Introducing ... The XFL!" Harvard Business School Case 503-015, July 2002.

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