The opening matches of the NRL season at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas shattered broadcast records, drawing over three million viewers across the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
The league’s expansion into the US saw a staggering 600% increase in viewership compared to last year, with the Raiders-Warriors clash attracting an average audience of 371,000 on FOX. This figure far surpassed the previous year’s Sea Eagles-Rabbitohs opener, which had just 61,000 viewers in the US.
The Panthers-Sharks game also outperformed previous FS1 rugby broadcasts by more than 100%, while Australian and New Zealand audiences exceeded two million and 600,000, respectively.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo hailed the growth, while highlighting the importance of maintaining momentum as the league continues its push into the American market.
Beyond the men’s matches, women’s rugby league also saw unprecedented numbers.
The Jillaroos-England Test set a new record for the most-watched women’s international, with Nine reporting an average audience of 353,000 and Foxtel marking it as their highest-rated Jillaroos match.
The Australia-England women’s game on FS1 in the US nearly matched the viewership of last year’s Manly-Souths men’s clash, while Super League’s Wigan-Warrington fixture became SKY Sports’ most-watched regular season game.
Additionally, FOX League had its most streamed day ever, with 144 million minutes of action watched. With growing US engagement and increased global sponsorships, the NRL’s Vegas initiative is proving to be a major success in expanding the sport’s reach.
