The Rugby World Cup 2023, held in France, set a new record as the most-watched rugby event in history.
It garnered 1.33 billion viewing hours across both linear and non-linear broadcasting platforms, marking a 30% increase from the 2015 World Cup in England and 19% from the 2019 Japan World Cup. France, despite its team’s quarter-final exit, led in viewership with 481 million viewing hours.
Significantly, viewership rose in eight of the eleven surveyed markets since 2015, despite a global decline in linear TV viewing and increased competition in the entertainment sector.
The UK nearly matched its 2015 viewership records, an impressive feat given a 27% decrease in overall linear TV viewership in the country during this period. Emerging rugby markets like Germany, Italy, and the USA saw substantial viewership growth of 27%, 70%, and 136% respectively, compared to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The final between South Africa and New Zealand was the most viewed match with 94 million viewing hours, followed by the France vs. South Africa quarter-final with 69 million viewing hours. World Rugby’s strategy of partnering with free-to-air broadcasters in most markets paid off, with 85% of global viewership coming from free-to-air TV, highlighting the effectiveness of making rugby more accessible to a broader audience.
TF1 and ITV1 were the top performers in European markets, with TF1 renewing its partnership with World Rugby to broadcast the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. The growth of streaming services was evident, with ITVX and RugbyPass TV contributing significantly to the online viewership.
Japan, hosting the 2019 World Cup, remained a strong viewership market for the 2023 World Cup, showcasing the lasting impact of hosting the event and the growth of rugby in Asia. Despite a decrease from the 2019 viewership, Japan’s viewership in 2023 still represented a 221% increase from the 2015 World Cup, with a significant portion of Japanese viewership coming from live programming.
Alan Gilpin, World Rugby Chief Executive, praised the tournament’s success and its global impact, emphasizing the organization’s commitment to growing the sport and enhancing the viewing experience for audiences worldwide. The comprehensive viewership report by Futures Sport+Entertainment underscores the Rugby World Cup’s expanding global appeal and its significance in the competitive global entertainment market.
