BBC Sport sets record for women’s rugby union viewership

BBC Sport reached a record peak audience of 3.3 million across TV and digital platforms for coverage of the England v France Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final, the highest figure recorded for a women’s rugby union match on UK television.

The match contributed to a total tournament reach of 9.8 million BBC TV viewers and 8.8 million streams across BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport platforms to date. England’s semi-final was also followed by 2.4 million views on the BBC Sport live text service.

Coverage of the other semi-final between New Zealand and Canada peaked at 1.6 million viewers, while digital engagement around the tournament has included 36 million video views on BBC Sport social media channels and 97.8 million page views for all rugby union content, with 7.9 million of those relating specifically to Women’s Rugby World Cup live reporting.

In addition, the BBC Radio 5 Live podcast Barely Rugby has generated 1.3 million views across social media since launching during the tournament. The Women’s Rugby World Cup final, set for Saturday 27 September, will be broadcast live across BBC TV, iPlayer, radio, BBC Sounds, online and social media.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, “The response to the Women’s Rugby World Cup has been phenomenal. These record-breaking figures reflect just how powerfully the tournament has connected with audiences across the UK.

The Red Roses’ journey to the final has been inspiring, emotional, and unmissable, and BBC Sport has been proud to bring fans every moment of it.”

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