Round One the highest rating opening round in subscription television history
NRL was back with a bang on Fox League with Round One of the 2021 season, becoming the all-time highest rating opening round in subscription television history and the second-highest rating NRL Round ever with an audience average of 372,000, up 28% on R1 2020.
All Foxtel Group platforms saw significant growth, with Foxtel broadcast audiences up 14% and streaming on Kayo, Foxtel Now, Foxtel GO up 74%.
Thursday night’s season opener featuring the Storm v Rabbitohs was the number one game for the round with an average audience of 487,000. The season opener was the highest rating Round One match ever and the highest rating Thursday night match ever. Friday night’s Broncos v Eels clash drew the next largest number of viewers, with an average audience of 429,000.
Fox Sports Executive Director Steve Crawley said: “This is a massive beginning for the 2021 NRL season. It continues a run of out-sized audience growth for League on subscription television in 2020 based on our growing number of sports subscribers, which is now at a high water mark in the company’s history.
“We know we need to work hard to deliver an outstanding product that people love and want to pay for. We have a commentary and production team that’s the best in the business, and together with a great line up of shows and personalities, these numbers are further confirmation fans know Fox League is the go-to place for all NRL action.”