World Rugby: "Rugby World Cup 2023 in France was the most viewed rugby event of all time"

With 1.33 billion viewing hours across all broadcast platforms (linear and non-linear), the "Rugby World Cup 2023 in France was the most viewed rugby event of all time," announced World Rugby on 30/01/2024.

This figure is up 30% compared to the Rugby World Cup 2015 in England (1.01 billion viewing hours) and up 19% compared to the World Cup in Japan in 2019 (1.11 billion viewing hours) "despite a general decline in linear TV globally and an accrued competition in the entertainment offering," said the international body.

France recorded the largest audience in the world with 481 million viewing hours, including 322 million for the private free-TV group TF1, which broadcast 20 matches during the competition. 28 matches (out of 48) of the 2023 World Cup were broadcast by the M6 group (18 matches) and France Télévisions (10) under a sub-licensing agreement with TF1. The five matches involving the French national team were among the top seven TV audiences in France in 2023.

The New Zealand - South Africa final (11-12, 28/10/2023) was the most watched match around the world with 94 million…