Super Rugby Pacific sees viewership increase, most-watched final in nine years

The 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season has ended in style, with broadcast figures showing record-breaking viewership figures across broadcast and digital platforms, culminating in the most-watched title decider in nearly a decade.

More than two million viewers tuned in across Sky Sport and Sky Open throughout the season, while digital viewership surged, with over 8.5 million streams and 650,000 individual viewers on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go.

This was a 15% increase in viewership compared to 2024.

But it was the grand final showdown, where the Crusaders beat the Chiefs 16-12 in Christchurch, that drew the most attention, with 726,000 tuning in on pay TV and free-to-air coverage, while an extra 40,000 watched in te reo Māori and 306,000 watched on Sky’s digital platforms.

Last year’s final, where the Blues beat the Chiefs to capture their first full title in 21 years, only registered 644,000 viewers on television and a further 113,000 on digital channels.

According to Nielsen data, the game reached the highest average audience for a Super Rugby Final since 2016, when the Hurricanes won their first and only title, beating the Lions in Wellington.

The second-most-watched game from the season was the Blues beating the Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs, followed by the two semifinals.

Sky’s head of sport content Gary Burchett felt the viewership figures reflected the rugby on the field.

“This season reminded us of just how powerful rugby can be in bringing people together,” Burchett said.

“The support from fans, the intensity on the field and the passion and professionalism from the Sky Sport production teams created something truly special. We couldn’t have asked for a more captivating season.”

Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley echoed the sentiment.

“It’s fantastic to see fans turn out in such strong numbers to watch the Super Rugby Pacific final across Sky’s channels,” Mesley said.

“We’ve worked hard over the past few years to make sure our competition delivers exciting and engaging rugby and this season has seen the culmination of that work in spades.”