SA dominate TV and crowd numbers

A look at the TV viewership and match attendances of Round 5 of Super Rugby reveals that South Africa continue to dominate their SANZAR cousins.

AUSTRALIA

TV Viewership

Australia had a total viewership of 370,000 across all six matches (an average of 61,667 per match). This is down 11% on the average in 2012 for Round 5, when 485,000 had tuned into the seven matches played (an average of 69,286 per match),

The Waratahs v Cheetahs garnered a total viewership of 105,000. This was up 33% on their Round 5 match in 2011 when 79,000 viewers tuned in to the match.

Reds v Force draw in 110,000 viewers, making it the highest rating match in Australia for the Round. This was exactly the same number of viewers for the same match played in Round 2 last year.

After five rounds there is a cumulative viewership total of 1,940,380 over the 28 matches played to date. This is an average of 69,299 viewers per match. By comparison in 2012, a total of 34 matches played by the end of Round 5. The cumulative total after Round 5 in 2012 was 1,983,000 (an average of 58,323 per match). The average year on year is up 19%.

Match attendances

Waratahs v Cheetahs had Allianz Stadium in Sydney at 28% capacity on Friday night, with 12,263 fans attending. This is a 23% decrease compared to the same Round 5 match in 2011 which had a total of 15,849 attendees.

The Reds vs Force game in Brisbane had 26,709 fans at Suncorp Stadium (51% capacity). This was down 13% on 2012’s Round 2 match where 33,563 fans attended.

After five rounds Australia has hosted a total of 191,838 fans over ten home matches to date, an average of 19,184 per match. This is up slightly on the average of 18,906 across twelve matches at the same time last year.

 

NEW ZEALAND

TV Viewership

Round 5 saw the 6 matches draw a total of 573,100 viewers in New Zealand, giving an average of 95,517 per match, down 7% on the 2012 viewership average of 102,471 across the seven matches played.

Highlanders v Hurricanes saw 245,300 fans tuned in to the match making it the highest NZ viewership of both the Round, and the Season to date. This is up 8% on the same Round 12 match in 2012 that had 227,300 viewers.

Crusaders and Bulls had a total viewership of 197,800. The last time these Teams met in a regular season was in 2011 when the Round 8 match had 176,600 fans tune in, which means viewership was up this year by 12%, despite the fact the match coincided with the Warriors v Roosters NRL match.

Thus far there is a cumulative viewership total of 2,254,500 over the 28 matches played to date. This is an average of 80,518 viewers per match. The cumulative total after Round 5 in 2012 was 2,750,000 (an average of 80,882 per match), only 364 viewers more than this year’s average.

Match attendances

Forsyth Barr Stadium held the Highlanders v Hurricanes in front of a crowd of 14,334. The Stadium was at 48% compared to the 2012 Round 12 match which had approximately 18,400 attendees (61% capacity).

Crusaders and Bulls was played in front of a crowd of 14,400 fans. This had AMI Stadium in Christchurch at 85% capacity, and was an increase of 47% compared to when the two Teams last played each other in a regular season in Round 8 in 2011, in front of a crowd of 9,790 fans at Alpine Energy Stadium in Timaru.

After five rounds New Zealand has hosted a total of 145,866 fans over the nine home matches played to date. This is an average of 16,207 attendees per match. The 2012 cumulative total after Round 5 in NZ was 176,309 (an average of 17,631 per match). Year on year this means average attendances are down 8% at this time of the season.

 

SOUTH AFRICA

TV Viewership

The Kings v Chiefs had 443,966 viewers.

Sharks and Brumbies had a viewership of 670,118. This was down 9% on their Round 12 match in 2011 which had 733,305 viewers.

After five rounds so far there is a cumulative viewership total of 8,632,610 over 28 matches played. This is an average of 308,308 per match. In 2012 the five full rounds had a total of 34 matches played. The cumulative total after Round 5 in 2012 was 11,129,662, an average of 327,343 per match. This represents a drop of 6%.

*It’s important to note that the SuperSport figures exclude HD viewership. There are over 680,000 HD households in SA, which could potentially add between 20-30% more viewers.

Match attendances

31,803 fans attended the Kings take on the Chiefs, which had Nelson Mandela Stadium at 76% capacity, making it the largest home crowd for the round across all three conferences.

Kings Park had 23,894 fans attending the Sharks v Brumbies match (46% capacity). This was a 6% increase on their 2011 Round 12 match which had 21,773 fans attend the same match.

After five rounds South Africa has hosted a total of 282,554 fans over the nine home matches to date. This is an average of 31,394 attendees, up 5% on 2012 when the cumulative total after 12 games in Round 5 in South Africa was 360,191, an average of 30,016 per match.

A summary of Round 5:

Australia New Zealand South Africa Combined
Biggest viewership 110,000 245,300 670,118
Reds v Highlanders v Sharks v
Force Hurricanes Brumbies
Total Viewership of home games 215,000 443,100 1,114,084 1,772,184
Total viewership of all games 370,000 573,100 2,084,544 3,027,644
Biggest crowd 26,709 14,400 31,803
Reds v Crusaders v Kings v
Force Bulls Chiefs
Total attendances 38,972 28,734 55,697 123,403
SEASON TOTALS
Australia New Zealand South Africa Combined
Cumulative viewership  1,940,380 2,254,500 8,632,610 12,827,490
Cumulative attendances 191,838 145,866 282,554 620,258

One Comment

  1. I reckon our viewership is up because of Superbru. I watch games, even if partially, because all results now concern me. Tried to get my cousin from Nelson onto Superbru and he doesn’t even have an email address. And they say SA is backward.

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