Aupiki viewing figures rise - with a caveat

The opportunities and the challenges for Super Rugby Aupiki have been highlighted by the release of viewing and engagement data for the elite women’s competition.

The expansion of the competition from five rounds to seven rounds, as well the final being shown on Sky Sport Open, contributed to the competition being watched by more than 680,000 viewers, including more than 208,000 for the final between the Blues and Chiefs Manawa.

That represents a 21% increase from 2023, Sky said. However, there was only a “modest” increase in the weekly viewing figures compared to 2023.

“On a round by round comparison there was a modest uplift in audience,” said Sky’s chief content commercial officer Jonny Errington.

“With Sky Super Rugby Aupiki 2024 expanding from five to seven rounds of matches we saw far more New Zealanders take the opportunity to enjoy the tournament and contribute to this significant increase in overall audience.”

The innovative use of social media app TikTok to show the final also appeared to attract a new, albeit relatively small, audience.

Sky said the final drew more than 12,700 unique viewers on TikTok, and 18,000 views overall, as well as 164,000 ‘likes’ across the match, and almost 6000 comments.

The TikTok figures were welcomed by 2degrees chief executive Mark Callander, who had worked with Sky to build interest in the women’s game.

“Having sponsored Sky Super Rugby Aupiki for the last three seasons, our goal has been to ensure that our involvement meaningfully expands both the game and its fan base,” he saidt.

Sky said that Super Rugby Aupiki matches had also been streamed on Sky digital channels more than 250,000 times - an increasingly important part of the commercial picture for rugby - and New Zealand Rugby head of women’s high performance Hannah Porter said the competition had “a big future”

“We saw quality matches across the expanded competition this year, with the final between the Blues and Chiefs Manawa showing us the potential this competition has moving forward to excite fans,” Porter said in a statement.

“Sky Super Rugby Aupiki is a young competition with a big future and it’s heartening to see the numbers of fans tuning in and engaging with the players, the teams and the unique brand of rugby.”

Still, the modest increase in round-byround figures compared to 2023 shows that the explosive growth in the women’s professional game hoped for after the Rugby World Cup in 2022 is proving elusive.

The challenges are not restricted to the women’s game, or even New Zealand, with clubs, provinces and franchises below test level finding it difficult throughout the world.

But, after the Super Rugby Aupiki final, Blues and Black Ferns star Ruahei Demant said there were issues that were specific to the women’s competition.

“Aupiki is a really challenging set-up. We get one day to train on a Thursday,” Demant said. If the competition was longer, it would give us an opportunity to be together for longer.

“New Zealand Rugby needs to put more money into it so that players have the option to walk away from their jobs and we can get a full week’s preparation. The same for our coaches as well.”