Kiwis almost three times more likely than Aussies to watch Rugby World Cup on TV
The Wallabies and All Blacks haven’t met in a World Cup final before, and antipodean rugby fans will have to rise very
early this Sunday to see which side will be the first to take the trophy for a third time. In Australia, around 1 in 7
people almost always or occasionally watch the Rugby World Cup on TV—but in New Zealand, the viewership rate is 2 in 5,
data for Australia and New Zealand from Roy Morgan Research shows.
Just 7.4% of Australians (aged 14+) almost always watch Rugby World Cup matches on TV and another 6.8% watch
occasionally (presumably when the home side is doing well!). But 27.9% of New Zealanders (14+) almost always watch, with
an additional 12.2% tuning in on occasion (perhaps because the side always does well!).
Australia has over five times the population of New Zealand, but potentially fewer than twice as many viewers overall:
2.77 million Aussies and 1.46 million Kiwis sometimes or always watch the World Cup.
In both Australia and New Zealand, 45% of Rugby World Cup viewers are aged 50 and over and only 27% are aged 14 to 34.
However in Australia, the vast bulk of viewers are men while in New Zealand the rugby audience is more gender balanced.
Over 7 in 10 Australian viewers are men, compared with 55% of New Zealanders watching.
John La Rosa, General Manager Client Services - ANZ, Roy Morgan Research, says:
“It is clear that the All Blacks can claim a much stronger level of support back home than can the Wallabies—and this
support is more evenly distributed across demographics and geography.
In New Zealand there is virtually no difference in the level of support between North and South, with 4 in 10 residents
of either island saying they always or occasionally watch the Rugby World Cup on television. In Australia, however,
there is a clear north-south divide that generally reflects overall interest in the code of Rugby compared with Aussie
Rules. People in Sydney, Brisbane or Canberra are two to three times more likely to watch than those in Melbourne or
Adelaide.
“Sports organisations, broadcasters, sponsors and advertisers in both countries need to understand regional variance,
and track changing viewership rates across demographics and geography—especially after historic victories in
international world cup events!”
ends