www.thepost.co.nz
The NRL’s surging popularity has been reflected in a strong set of Sky Sport broadcast numbers.
Sky revealed on Thursday that almost 1.59 million New Zealanders watched NRL matches Sky Sport and free-to-air on Sky Open in the first 10 rounds of the competition, a rise of 14% from 2023.
The Warriors-Raiders game in round three was the most-watched game of the competition so far, attracting an audience of 469,800 people with a further 63,800 people streaming on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go.
Those figures show that New Zealand is very much a two-code country, boosted by the popularity of the Warriors.
However, rugby still has its nose in front. Super Rugby Pacific was viewed by 1.67m people in the first 10 rounds of the competition, despite having fewer games each weekend.
The most-watched Super Rugby Pacific contest, the Crusaders-Chiefs game on March 29, also rated slightly higher than the Warriors-Raiders game.
The Super Rugby game attracted 482,000 on Sky and more than 59,400 streaming on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go for a total of 541,400, compared to the total of 533,600 for the Warriors’ most-watched game.
But the NRL can claim a win when it comes to streaming, with rising numbers suggesting it is winning the race for younger fans.
“It’s particularly notable that we are welcoming new audiences to league on our streaming channels, with an increase of nearly 30% year-on-year in viewing hours across Sky Sport Now and Sky Go,” Sky’s chief content and commercial officer Jonny Errington said in a statement.
“The majority of viewers watched via Sky Sport, Sky Sport Now and Sky Go, along with pleasing growth in the free-to-air audience who have been enjoying Friday Night Footy matches on Sky Open.”
The Warriors v Sharks match on March 8 was the second most popular with 461,100 people watching and more than 64,280 people streaming, while the Warriors v Sea Eagles match on April 13 came in third with 433,800 people watching and nearly 74,500 people streaming.