Rugby World Cup 2023 Was Most Viewed Rugby Tournament Ever

World Rugby has confirmed what we knew already, that the France Rugby World Cup 2023 was the most-watched rugby tournament to date, accumulating 1.33 billion viewing hours.

RWC France 2023 global viewership was 85 per cent from free-to-air TV – which was one of the governing body’s missions – to make the tournament accessible for all.

World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin said: “Rugby World Cup 2023 has been a fantastic tournament on and off the field and we are delighted to see that the thrilling spectacle millions enjoyed in France captured the hearts of millions more worldwide.

As our sport continues to grow and break new markets, we will continue to work with our broadcast partners to enhance the viewing experience, especially for new audiences, helping us achieve our vision of making rugby a global sport for all.”

Streaming services now account for 5 per cent of global viewership. RugbyPass TV was launched in 2023 and its coverage in markets without a local broadcaster is also at the core of World Rugby’s strategy – with the SVNS and Challenger Sevens Series being broadcast on the platform since the RWC 2023.

PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 28: Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, lifts The Webb Ellis Cup following the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Record Breaking RWC 2023 – What Do The Viewership Stats Say

Now, we are not saying it is only because Rugby Asia 247 was there covering the event but…..

• 1.33 billion viewing hours (VH) across all programming on linear & non-linear broadcasts.
• RWC France 2023 achieved 30 per cent more viewership than England 2015 (1.01bn VH).
• RWC 2023 had 19 per cent more viewership than Japan 2019 (1.11bn VH).
• France recorded the highest viewership worldwide with 481m VH.
• The RWC Final between South Africa and New Zealand achieved the highest viewing hours of any match globally, with 94m VH.
• The France vs South Africa quarter-final was second-highest with 69m VH.​

Growth In Emerging Markets

There was a growth in viewership across most markets

• Germany (15.2m VH)
• Italy (16.1m VH)
• USA (11.1m VH)

Japan ranked as the country with the third most viewership for RWC 2023, with 175.9m VH.

• 86 per cent of Japanese viewership came from live programming.
• Japan had the most viewed matches of any domestic broadcaster.

No other from Asia was made available in the report from World Rugby.

Free-to-air Rugby World Cup 2023 Broadcast & Streaming

All top ten performing channels from RWC 2023 were free-to-air, while 70M VH came from online streaming services.

• TF1 – 322m viewing hours
• ITV 1 – 295m viewing hours
• ITV X – 27M VH (streaming)
• RugbyPass TV – 350,000 subscribers and 1.7 million users during the tournament

TF1 has renewed their long-standing partnership with World Rugby and will broadcast the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.

The reporting of Rugby World Cup 2023 broadcast audiences was conducted by Futures Sport+Entertainment, a member of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) and a leading research agency that combines existing data sources and proprietary tools with customized research and knowledge to advise the world’s most famous federations, leagues and clubs.

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