NRL fans smash Foxtel and Kayo TV ratings records in Round 1

The NRL season is back with a bang and new record TV ratings prove fans just can’t enough of the game of rugby league.

PENRITH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 10: Stephen Crichton of the Panthers celebrates with team mates after scoring a try, which was later disallowed by the video bunker during the round one NRL match between the Penrith Panthers and the Manly Sea Eagles at BlueBet Stadium on March 10, 2022, in Penrith, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The NRL season is back with a bang on and off the field as fans flock to their TV screens to watch the new rugby league season.

The action kicked off over the weekend with an exciting Round 1 filled with upsets that had tipsters and pundits scratching their heads.

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And there was clearly plenty of appetite for footy — Round 1 was the highest viewed NRL round of all time on Foxtel with an average audience of 436,000 tuning in to each game on Fox League and Kayo.

That result was a 15 per cent increase on the corresponding fixture from last season and up eight per cent on the previous highest rating regular season round, (Round 25 2021, 406,000 viewers).

Saturday night’s Fox League and Kayo exclusive game between the Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers was the most-watched NRL regular season game of all time on subscription TV with an average audience of 547,000.

The second highest rating game of Round 1 was the game between the North Queensland Cowboys and Canterbury Bulldogs (473,000).

The Storm vs Tigers clash was the most watched NRL regular season game ever on pay TV. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Fox Sports executive director Steve Crawley welcomed the record viewership numbers.

“What a great game, Rugby League,” he said.

“We have just come off the most successful season ever and we’re already seeing even greater numbers and records. Season 2022 — can’t wait.”

All eight games from every NRL round are shown live on Fox Sports and Kayo and for fans who can’t enough of their rugby league NRL Tonight, NRL 360, and the Late Show with Matty Johns provide plenty of news, analysis and entertainment.

The 2022 season will see more NRL game broadcast in 4K ultra high definition on Foxtel than ever before and Fox League is home to every game of every round — live and ad-break free during play on Foxtel and Kayo.

Round 2 gets underway on Thursday night when the Melbourne Storm take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs.