Rugby World Cup coverage reaches a cumulative global audience of over four billion people. Get an inside look at what it takes to take Rugby to the world....
It's staggering to think that while RWC 2011 is likely to be a "Stadium of Four Million" here in New Zealand, it will also be a "Stadium of Four Billion" as what promises to be a record TV audience tunes in to the action.
The figure is a reflection of a tournament that has enjoyed phenomenal growth since its debut in 1987 in New Zealand and is now firmly established as one of the world's top five sporting events.
Back in 1987, 300 million viewers from 17 countries tuned in to watch David Kirk lift the Webb Ellis Cup and in the five memorable tournaments since that seminal moment, TV audiences have ballooned, culminating in over four billion viewers in 238 countries watching RWC 2007 in France. Only the Olympic Games, Football World Cup and European Football Championships now have more television viewers.
RWC 2007 broadcast highlights:
• The global cumulative TV audience reached four billion for the first time
• The 238 countries receiving the RWC broadcast passed the previous best of 214 set in 1999
• Over 8,500 hours of RWC 2007 programming was broadcast worldwide
• The France v England semi-final exceeded 20 million viewers in France and a 67% market share, not including bars and fan zones
• The Final peaked at 16 million viewers in the UK (not including the millions watching in clubs and bars)
• RWC matches took the top six positions for French programming of any sort in 2007
• Almost 50% of viewers in France were females
This global coverage is critical for the IRB as RWC provides a platform for Rugby to reach out to audiences in new markets. Interest in a number of these developing Rugby markets has already grown as a result of the decision to include Rugby Sevens in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The revenues from television coverage also play a major role in the global development of Rugby as broadcast rights generate around 60% of all RWC commercial revenues. It is this money that the IRB strategically invests in targeted projects across its Member Unions with the overall objective of increasing the competitiveness of the Game at Test level. Evidence of this strategy can be seen across the Pacific Islands where IRB investment has created new player pathways, high performance centres and tournament structures.
With Sky NZ on board as the host broadcaster the production of RWC 2011 could not be in safer hands. For the first time every minute of RWC 2007 was produced in high definition and this will repeated in 2011, with the match scheduling allowing the most dedicated supporters around the world to watch all 48 matches live. That's all 3,840 minutes of RWC action, showcasing New Zealand to the world!
So not only will RWC 2011 be the biggest event ever held in New Zealand, it will also be a great opportunity to showcase the country to the world. We're sure people around the world will love what they see.
