Rugby TV viewership, attendances up in NZ
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Southern hemisphere rugby body SANZAR has reported increased television viewership and match attendances in New Zealand for the first part of the Super 15 season, but crowds in Australia and South Africa down on last year.
In figures released on Wednesday ahead of the tournament’s return following the international break, SANZAR said a cumulative figure of 9,916,300 people in New Zealand watched the 100 games in the first 15 rounds on TV, an increase of 32 per cent on 2011.
New Zealand stadiums averaged 16,842 fans per match compared to 12,217 at a similar stage last season.
Australia had drops in viewers and average attendances, while South Africa’s average match attendance also dipped.
But South Africa had a cumulative total of 34,074,497 TV viewers so far, which SANZAR called “a great increase”.
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June 28th 2012 @ 4:15am
King of the Gorgonites said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:15am | Report comment
What are the oz figures?
With the tahs struggling that’s no surprise. Importantly the brumbies have increased.
Great news re nz. No world cup hangover. The landers and chiefs have a lot to do with it.
June 28th 2012 @ 7:50am
katzilla said | June 28th 2012 @ 7:50am | Report comment
Your right there, I think Dunedin’s new stadium can also take a big chunk of the credit.
June 28th 2012 @ 9:21am
Thurl said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Half right. The Dunedin crowds are turning up because the Highlanders are playing well. But the statium certainly makes it easier for them to do that
June 28th 2012 @ 11:36am
moaman said | June 28th 2012 @ 11:36am | Report comment
Occurs to me that the Crusaders having home games might be a factor too.
June 28th 2012 @ 11:48am
Samvandamn said | June 28th 2012 @ 11:48am | Report comment
Totally.
You should go to the Dunedin Stadium if you ever get the chance.
Its an experience like nothing else.
June 28th 2012 @ 12:26pm
RebelRanger said | June 28th 2012 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
I’ve always thought the Highlanders will always have a good turnout because its close to Otago University. And geez those guys look like they’re having fun..
June 28th 2012 @ 4:39pm
The Bush said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
King,
Rugby Week – http://www.rugbyweek.com/ – is carrying this article but with all the figures and in much more detail.
Australia’s figures are down by 3% only last year – insignificant when you consider how much the 2011 figures were up on 2010.
What’s amazing about the figures is how much South Africa dwarfs the other two. The figure quoted in this subject article for South Africa doesn’t even include the HD figures (aparently). So we could be talking 40,000,000 plus.
June 29th 2012 @ 9:17am
Jarmen said | June 29th 2012 @ 9:17am | Report comment
You have to take into consideration the sheer enormity of South Africas population in comparison to Australia and New Zealand.
South Africa has more than twice the population of NZ and OZ combined
June 29th 2012 @ 12:00pm
The Bush said | June 29th 2012 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
South Africa’s population is a bit over twice ours (about fifty (50) million). I wouldn’t consider that is “enormous” compared to us.
What I would say, is that despite their levels of poverty and claims that it is a Whites only sport, the rugby market in South Africa is clearly infinately bigger than Australia’s.
I’d love to know the breakdown on advertising revenue though, because we have alwasy been told that South Africa brings home the most revenue (which is then distributed evenly).
June 29th 2012 @ 4:02pm
Donnytwo said | June 29th 2012 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
The whites certainly used to claim it as their game in the dark days of apartheid, but the ‘coloured’ population have always been big on rugby. I remember watching them cheer the 1970 All Blacks behind barbed wire and behind the goal posts. Watch any All Black test in the Republic, especially in Cape Town, and you will see many suspicious looking ‘Maori’ cheering for the All Blacks. Hardly surprising the way the ‘coloured’ population were treated back in the day.
June 28th 2012 @ 4:33am
biltongbek said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:33am | Report comment
“Numbers in Australia have been consistent with the remarkable results achieved in 2011, where the Reds title success resulted in new viewing records across the country, while Queensland Rugby has since turned in some great results off the field, maintaining record attendances while shattering membership numbers,” Peters said.
After fifteen rounds a cumulative total of 5,888,000 fans have viewed the 100 Super Rugby matches in Australia. This average is only slightly down 3% on the highs of 2011 and has climbed considerably as the season progresses
June 28th 2012 @ 4:36am
biltongbek said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:36am | Report comment
A massive cumulative total of 34,074,497 South African fans have tuned into the 100 matches to date. By the end of Round 15 in 2011, 99 matches had been played with a total of 28,658,402 viewers. While only one game less had been played in 2011, the difference of 5,416,095 is a significant gap and therefore a great increase in viewership for South Africa compared to 2011.
(Please note that the SuperSport figures exclude HD viewership. There are over 400,000 HD households in SA, which if measured would add significantly to the viewership numbers.)
A total of 852,838 fans have attended the 32 matches played to date (an average of 26,651 per match). This is two matches less than the 34 that were played by the end of Round 15 in 2011 with a total of 914,249.
There have also been reports of some great viewing numbers in the United Kingdom, with BSkyB reporting an average of 35,000 live in-home viewers per Super Rugby match.
June 28th 2012 @ 4:36am
biltongbek said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:36am | Report comment
A massive cumulative total of 34,074,497 South African fans have tuned into the 100 matches to date. By the end of Round 15 in 2011, 99 matches had been played with a total of 28,658,402 viewers. While only one game less had been played in 2011, the difference of 5,416,095 is a significant gap and therefore a great increase in viewership for South Africa compared to 2011.
(Please note that the SuperSport figures exclude HD viewership. There are over 400,000 HD households in SA, which if measured would add significantly to the viewership numbers.)
A total of 852,838 fans have attended the 32 matches played to date (an average of 26,651 per match). This is two matches less than the 34 that were played by the end of Round 15 in 2011 with a total of 914,249.
There have also been reports of some great viewing numbers in the United Kingdom, with BSkyB reporting an average of 35,000 live in-home viewers per Super Rugby match.
June 28th 2012 @ 4:37am
biltongbek said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:37am | Report comment
With 34 matches played on home soil, 633,847 Australian fans have attended Super Rugby matches to date (average 18,642 per match). 2011 at Round 15 was one game behind with 33 matches played, but was slightly ahead in the cumulative crowd with 640,910 attending those matches (average of 19,421 per match)
June 28th 2012 @ 5:33am
Emric said | June 28th 2012 @ 5:33am | Report comment
I’ve been tracking these figures since day 1.
NZ Sky + Prime TV = 10,735,620*
Foxtel = 5,888,000
SuperSport = 34,074,497
Total Across All 3 Countries. 50,698,117
The remarkable thing about these figures. NZ and AU only get 4 games of the 6 shown in favorable time zones. All 4 make have solid TV ratings, there is no FTA Component in Aus, and NZ’s one is on serious delay from Sky.
This is just Super Rugby
International Rugby this Season (June Series)
9- games = 9,625,597
SkyTV=1,971,160
Prime=1,269,300
Foxtel=1,404,000
Chan 9=775,000
Gem=62,000
SuperSport=4,144,137
With the NZ Totals included people who watched the AusVWales Games
The Aus Totals include those who watch NZVIreland games
The SA are only the SA V England games.
Thanks to Tanks team for supplying the SA information.
*Prime play 1 game a week one delay and it normally makes primes top 5 count.
June 28th 2012 @ 7:00am
p.Tah said | June 28th 2012 @ 7:00am | Report comment
Just goes to show that the world of Southern hemisphere rugby doesn’t revolve around the Waratahs!
June 28th 2012 @ 6:21am
mania said | June 28th 2012 @ 6:21am | Report comment
as a kiwi i’m surprised. i honestly thought (as per other WC years) that after the last wc that i’d be rugby’d out. but a combination of things has kept me watching.
1) new rookies and their level of talent
2) plight and show of heart by my hurricanes
3) the high level of skill from the chiefs
4) guts and glory of the highlanders
5) saders clinical dismantling of teams building momentum
the test matches have also been great to watch. NH teams werent the push overs a lot of ppl were predicting and came to the SH and gave the 3 SANZAR nations lessons as to where SH vulnerabilities are.
its been a good year for rugby so far. bring on the bledisloe
June 28th 2012 @ 6:38am
kingplaymaker said | June 28th 2012 @ 6:38am | Report comment
Well done to the ARU for letting the Waratahs ruin Sydney and hog much of Australia’s forwards talent, as well as abandoning most of its heartlands and leaving the huge market of Southern Australia desolate. A fine achievement.
June 28th 2012 @ 4:12pm
Nathan of Perth said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:12pm | Report comment
The *what* market of South Australia? o.O
June 28th 2012 @ 8:37am
tc said | June 28th 2012 @ 8:37am | Report comment
With numbers like this no wonder SANZAR see a pot of gold when they talk about new teams in the US ,Canada ,Argentina and Japan . It surprised me when somebody above wrote the tv numbers for the UK ,the next tv deal is going to be very interesting indeed.
June 28th 2012 @ 8:47am
Bellringer said | June 28th 2012 @ 8:47am | Report comment
I’m going to have to eat my words. These numbers are astonishing.