Hurricanes-Chiefs final delivers Sky’s highest-rating broadcast of the year so far
Tuesday, 23 June 2026
The Super Rugby Pacific final between the Hurricanes and Chiefs was Sky’s “highest-rating broadcast year to date”, the broadcaster revealed on Tuesday as part of a strong set of audience numbers.
Sky said more than 750,000 viewers watched the final on Sky Sport and Sky Open, up around 4% from last year.
“Digital audiences also set new benchmarks, with over 330,000 viewers, up 8% on last year, streaming the match on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go,” Sky said.
The competition also delivered overall audience growth compared to 2025, buoyed by double-digit increases on Sky’s digital platforms.
“Across the full 2026 season, more than 1.9 million viewers watched Super Rugby Pacific on Sky Sport and Sky Open 3 while over three-quarters of a million New Zealanders watched the competition across Sky’s digital platforms, Sky Go, Sky Sport Now and ThreeNow,” Sky said.
“A strong and stable audience on Sky Sport combined with rapid growth on streaming platforms, up 16% year on year, drove overall audience growth for the competition in 2026.”
Apart from the final, the other most-watched games were the Chiefs v Crusaders semfinal, the Hurricanes v Blues semifinal, the Crusaders v Waratahs game in Super Round, and the Chiefs v Reds qualfiying final.
Gary Burchett, Sky’s head of sport content, said the results reflect both the enduring appeal of Super Rugby Pacific and changing audience behaviours.
“Super Rugby Pacific delivers the moments that matter to Kiwis, and this season we saw that come through across every Sky platform,” he said in a statement.
“The finals series, and the final in particular, had real scale and intensity. It landed as our biggest broadcast of the year so far, which speaks to both the quality of the competition and the way we’re bringing it to life.
“It’s also notable that the other peak moment of the competition – the Super Round opener, between the Crusaders and the Waratahs – ranked among the top five matches across all Sky platforms.”
The audiences will be a boost to the competition, which has struggled against a perception that it is falling out of favour compared to the NRL and the rise of the Warriors.
The continued switch to digital platforms also suggests that New Zealanders are becoming increasingly comfortable with streaming as their preferred way of watching live sport.
The format for next year’s competition is still unknown, while a decision on the future of Moana Pasifika is expected by the end of the month.