Nielsen Sports South Africa has confirmed that Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, drew an impressive audience for his win over Israel Adesanya in August.
That was after Du Plessis had drawn record viewership numbers in the run-up to his fight with American Sean Strickland in January, racking up a massive 382 219 viewers.
His title defence bout against the Nigerian-born Adesanya saw a total audience of 307 619, ensuring both events as historical moments in audience figures for live UFC broadcasts.
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From his first televised fight in 2022 through to the Adensanya event, Du Plessis has consistently grown his audience, grabbing 1033% more live viewers than any of his previous fights, and a live unique audience 120% higher than the best performing ‘non-Du Plessis’ UFC event. This, despite his latest fight taking place at 03h00, South African time.
In terms of TV viewership, SuperSport viewers watched 605,652 in total broadcast hours, capturing 528,767 total unique viewers. On top of that, 28% of the audience watched the content more than once, demonstrating Du Plessis’ broad appeal and the fight’s ‘replay value’.
Notably, the broadcast was tiered-down to non-premium subscriber platforms, making the fight available to a wider and more diverse audience. 61% of the audience who watched the live broadcast on SuperSport Action watched 75% or more of the broadcast without changing channels – a first for an early morning UFC event.
Additional inserts added heightened exposure for the event, with Gauteng leading the national reach, accounting for 29% of the total audience. The record-breaking viewership – surpassing the previous total for non-Du Plessis UFC events by 120% – reveals that, for the most part, South Africans are not put off by irregular time slots when it comes to supporting local heroes like Du Plessis.
“Sport is an exceptional unifier for South Africans, providing a welcome escape from everyday life and a point of national pride when local sportspeople excel internationally,” said Duncan Stead, Commercial Manager at Nielsen Sports SA. “For brands, events such as the Dricus Du Plessis fight present a chance to connect with an audience in a ‘feel good’ state of mind, as they stand behind their heroes. We saw the unwavering loyalty from SA fans arriving at the airport to welcome back the champ. This national zeitgeist is a significant win for South African fans brands alike.”
Springboks Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth joining Team Du Plessis for the walk-in for the Adesanya fight highlighted the cross-over appeal UFC has achieved since Du Plessis’ rise in stature. The sport has transcended MMA and become relatable to a broader audience due to such collaboration between sports stars, which has increased its engagement appeal.
TV viewership data Source: BRC TAMS 2024