Munster Are Most-Watched Side In URC
A viewership of over 37 million watched the BKT United Rugby Championship during the 2022/23 season which broke another broadcast record thanks to an 8% rise in audience figures.
Munster were the most-watched team in the competition. Pick up a Season Ticket for 2023/24 here.
Our clash against DHL Stormers in April had the highest viewership in the regular season (688,903).
Munster’s semi-final win against Leinster drew 856,599 viewers to set the highest average audience of the entire season. The Grand Final itself between DHL Stormers and Munster also recorded a higher peak audience with over 1 million watching.
Twelve months on from announcing a previous record of over 34.6million, the BKT URC can now report that a cumulative total of 37.4million tuned in to watch the drama unfold from across Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.
The figure also includes five rounds where the audience was over 2 million and 12 rounds were the audience climbed beyond 1.5million. In addition, five of the top 10 most-viewed games of the regular season saw audiences rise above half a million with DHL Stormers v Munster from Round 17 closing in on almost 700,000 viewers.
The BKT URC Play-Offs had over 4 million viewers.
Martin Anayi, United Rugby Championship CEO, said: “It has been a record-setting year for the BKT URC in terms of attendances and now to set a new bar for TV audiences is a testament to new levels of interest that surround our league.
“We’ve worked hard to establish the BKT URC as the rising force in the rugby industry. Having recently broken beyond 1 million social media followers we can see that fans are responding to what we have created by going to stadiums, watching at home and engaging through their favourite digital media platforms.
“On the pitch we have seen the new format deliver more jeopardy and surprise results. The mix of playing styles and cultures within the league is providing an appeal that is very unique in rugby. This type of growth in audiences and attendances do not happen without our broadcast partners and teams playing their part and they all deserve great credit for this achievement.”
Breaking down the record-setting audiences in 2022/23
Total Season Audience: 37.4million (+8%)
Season Average: 247,682 per game
Regular season total: 33.3million (+8%)
Regular Season Average: 231,250 per game
Total Play-Off Audience: 4.02million (up on 3.8million +5%)
Play-Off Average: 575,000 per game
Most Watched Teams
- Munster
- Cell C Sharks
- Vodacom Bulls
- DHL Stormers
- Connacht
10 of the 16 BKT URC clubs have seen season-on-season growth in their audiences
Top 10 Most Watched Matches in Regular Season
- DHL Stormers v Munster 688,903
- Connacht v Cell C Sharks 584,765
- Ulster v DHL Stormers 543,964
- Emirates Lions v Leinster 503,228
- Cell C Sharks v DHL Stormers 501,618
- Ulster v Vodacom Bulls 495,527
- Cell C Sharks v Ospreys 493,776
- DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls 490,829
- Leinster v Munster 456,559
- Vodacom Bulls v Cardiff 448,654
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