Rugby League World Cup, 2021 - Post Event Analysis

Rugby League World Cup, 2021 - Post Event Analysis

Summary

An analysis of the recent 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which provides insight the event's broadcasters, sponsorship portfolio, prize money, attendance and ticketing

This year’s final between Australia and Samoa boasted a total attendance figure of 67,502, the highest attended match of the tournament.

Adult tickets varied from £25 ($30.97) to £180 ($223.47) at this year’s tournament, with approximately 350,000 tickets sold before the event began. England’s semi-final against Samoa generated a TV audience of 2.5 million in the United Kingdom across BBC platforms, the larger TV audience of any match at the event.

England’s quarter-final match against Papua New Guinea accrued a peak audience of 1.7 million, the second highest viewed match at the tournament. The event’s current sponsorship deals are worth an estimated $13.4 million, as per GlobalData.

The deal with Cazoo, an online automotive retailer who serve as a principal sponsor the event, is the largest sponsor on this year’s roster. GlobalData estimates this deal to be worth $2 million annually and covers the duration of the tournament.

Key Highlights

• A cumulative average match audience of 29.24 million tuned into the 2021 Rugby League World Cup on BBC platforms, from the 61 games from the men's, women's and wheelchair tournaments. Alongside this, aggregate attendance stoof at 423,789, which is less than the 453,483 at the 2013 event.
• Regarding sponsorship, the 2021 Rugby League World Cup had a total of 18 sponsors, which are worth a total of $13.4 million annually.

• This report provides an overview of the event including a look at the event's sponsorship portfolio, broadcasters, prize money, attendance and ticketing. An analysis of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup sponsors is included and the estimated annual values for some of these deals. Information regarding some of the events broadcasting and ticketing figures

• For those wanting an in-depth analysis of how the 2021 Rugby League World Cup performed, in the sense of both business and popularity.