ArenaBowl XXIV on NFL Network sets record rating

Tuesday August 16, 2011

 TULSA – Four days after “Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network reached a record high rating, it was surpassed yet again on Friday, August 12, 2011 during ArenaBowl XXIV. The game, featuring the Jacksonville Sharks at Arizona Rattlers, inked a .37 rating.

“Our ratings have seen a dramatic increase since the start of the 2011 season,” Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said. “We saw nearly a 200 percent increase in households reached from ArenaBowl XXIII last year, during this year’s game.”

The score marked an all-time high in the Arena Football League’s second year as broadcast partners with NFL Network.

The total was .05 more than it’s previous record rating, set in the same week (.32 rating). Due to arena scheduling, the American Conference Championship was the AFL’s first Monday night game on NFL Network during the 2011 season on August 8.

The Sharks would become ArenaBowl Champions after defeating the Rattlers, 73-70, in front of 14,320 fans at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ.

About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the AFL has provided the fast-paced and exciting game of Arena Football to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. The NFL Network will once again broadcast an AFL National Game of the Week for the entire regular and post season on Friday nights at 8:00 pm EST, culminating with the ArenaBowl Championship Game on August 12.