Introducing...the XFL! - The Case Centre

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Case

Reference no. 9-503-015

Subject category: Marketing

Authors: Susan Fournier (Harvard Business School); Stephen A Greyser (Harvard Business School); Seth M Schulman (Harvard Business School)

Published by: Harvard Business Publishing

Published in: 2002

Length: 20 pages

Data source: Published sources

Topics: Advertising; Brands; Consumer behavior; Marketing strategy; Product introduction; Public relations; Sports

Share a link: https://casecent.re/p/40431

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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? Analyzing the XFL's conception and execution, this case prompts students to draw valuable marketing lessons about product development, positioning, and repositioning in contemporary social and cultural contexts.; Managing brand meanings over time.