Both England and Wales successfully qualifying for the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup has seen a significant spike in addressable audience size, data reveals.
The insight from adtech firm Quantcast shows that 7.31m devices have engaged with English rugby, closely followed by Welsh rugby content at 6.03m – almost twice the population of the country. This far outweighs devices engaging with the other home nations Scotland (2.27m) and Ireland (3.43m).
It’s not just the home nations rugby fans are engaging with though. Interest in Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has spiked massively over the last few months, rising from 2m devices in July, to 7m in August, before dropping to 6m in September. This may well continue, as Australia are on the brink of heading home at the pool stages for the first time in their history.
Quantcast’s data also suggests that one of Jones’s former teams is proving to be the favourite ‘second team’ for rugby fans – with 2.57m devices engaging with Japanese rugby since the start of the tournament. This is closely followed by Georgia (1.64m).
Data also suggests France can expect a surge in tourism thanks to the Rugby World Cup, as Quantcast’s insights shows a 203% increase in devices browsing ‘travel to France’ compared to this time last year.
Matt White, VP EMEA at Quantcast, says, “The 2023 Rugby World Cup has proven to be the perfect environment for fan support throughout the UK. Every home nation game to date has been played on the weekend, allowing as large an audience as possible to engage, and our data proves it. The addressable audience for Welsh rugby is the equivalent of two devices for every person in the country – it’s quite staggering.
“With the knockout stages on the horizon, it’s likely interest will only continue to increase so businesses should be looking to book additional advertising space accordingly to take advantage. It’s not just the brands that benefit either – with increased viewership comes increased ad spend and a surge in consumer spending, which in turn should provide a much-needed boost for the UK economy.
“It seems the host nation is set to enjoy a long term benefit too, with our data highlighting a vast increase in interest in travelling to France as a result of the Rugby World Cup. It’s hardly surprising given that the aerial shots prior to games have showcased just how beautiful the likes of Paris, Marseille, Lille and Toulouse are.”
