Two Crusaders games were the most watched during the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, when viewership was up 16 per cent compared to 2023.
More than 550,000 people tuned into Sky Sport and free-to-air on Sky Open to watch our boys beat the Blues in Round 13 on 25 May. The game was also well attended at Apollo Projects Stadium with more than 15,000 tickets sold.
The Crusaders v Chiefs game in Round 6 was the second most watched game, with more than 482,000 people tuning in throughout the match.
Throughout the season, more than 1.94 million New Zealanders watched the competition on Sky Sport and free-to-air on Sky Open, and matches were streamed over 4.3 million times across Sky’s digital channels.
“It’s pleasing to see the viewership stats backing up what we already know – that Super Rugby is alive and well in New Zealand, said Colin Mansbridge, Crusaders CEO.
“We’re hoping that evidence like this disproves the supposed narrative that the sport has lost popularity and is less popular than in previous years. We’ve had more than 75,000 people attend our home games in Christchurch, and nearly 40 per cent of Kiwis tuned in to a game in some way or another.”
Jonny Errington, Sky’s Chief Content and Commercial Officer, said there were a further 215,000 unique viewers on their digital channels Sky Sport Now and Sky Go.
“What we know is that many of our streaming customers cast the match to the big screen and ‘co-view’ with friends and family, so the number of actual viewers on our streaming services is likely to be significantly higher,” Errington said.
He said most people watched via Sky Sport and there was “substantial growth in the free-to-air audience on Sky Open, with all New Zealanders having the opportunity to watch a free ‘Super Saturday’ match each week of the regular season”.
Super Rugby Pacific Chair, Kevin Malloy said the 2024 season was “competitive, exciting and unpredictable”.
“It is brilliant to see this reflected through broadcast viewership and in turn an engaged fan base,” Malloy said.
“To have more fans tuning into the 2024 season to date than the 2023 season is really positive, especially with quarterfinals kicking off this weekend.”