The Vodacom United Rugby Championship is showing significant growth in viewership, according to Nielsen Sports SA.
This is despite an overall decline in pay-TV subscriptions in South Africa.
According to Nielsen, the statistics show the rising popularity of rugby in the country, driven by the exceptional performance of South African teams, hot on the heels of last year’s record-breaking Rugby World Cup.
From late 2023 to mid-2024, URC broadcast hours surged by 220 hours, with 374 additional inserts, resulting in heightened exposure for the event. These figures highlight that SuperSport generated more exposure for the event, while 13% of all secondary broadcasts (repeats and highlights) were tiered down to other DStv subscription packages below Premium – Compact, Compact Plus, Access, and Family subscribers. Increased viewership numbers reflect growth in both a core rugby market and in segments with a growing interest in the sport – specifically the URC.
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“Our latest data shows the rapidly growing enthusiasm for rugby in South Africa and the vital role SA teams play in driving this trend,” said Nwabisa Sauls, Commercial Manager at Nielsen Sports SA. “The rise in both viewership and stadium attendance (up 3% overall according to the URC) is testament to the enduring appeal of the South African teams’ prominence on the global rugby stage and its ability to captivate a broad and diverse audience. Ultimately, South Africans love to see our teams contending for top titles among the world’s best.”
With overall URC consumption up by an impressive 19% and a rise of 6% in the total unique audience for the URC, additional broadcast hours and strategic scheduling from DStv have been winning factors for fans – and a remarkable achievement given the expected decline due to lower subscription numbers.
The 153 live URC broadcasts attracted 1.19 million unique viewers and secondary broadcasts added 96,782 new viewers. Notably, 31% of this audience watched on SS Variety 4 (DStv Channel 209), demonstrating the effectiveness of a strategic secondary broadcast schedule in boosting viewership.
South African teams scored the top spots in viewership numbers, with the 2023–24 URC final match featuring the Vodacom Bulls and the Glasgow Warriors on 22 June 2024 attracting 610,977 unique viewers. Other top games included the Vodacom Bulls vs Leinster (474,250 viewers) and the Vodacom Bulls vs the DHL Stormers (453,735 viewers).
