England’s defeat in the opening Test of this year’s Ashes pulled in a peak audience of almost 1 million viewers, it has emerged – underlining the strength of international rugby league.
Shaun Wane’s side were well beaten by Australia in the first of three Test matches at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Kangaroos were comfortable winners, emerging 26-6 victors.
The game was broadcast in a prime-time BBC One slot on Saturday afternoon, with a star-studded presenting team led by Mark Chapman.
And Ashes fever has gripped the nation it seems, with figures comparing well to what marquee events like the Challenge Cup final usually pull in on the channel.
According to the reputable X account Rugby League on TV, the game had an average audience of over 800,000 throughout – despite Australia running away with the game in the second half. That number would have likely been higher had the contest been a tight and close one.
England v Australia 1st Test on BBC ONE had 818,000 average audience with 14.2% audience share.
Peak audience of 930,000 and 15.1% audience share.
— RugbyLeagueonTV.com (@rugbyleagueontv) October 26, 2025
That equated to an audience share of almost 15% for the time of day, a strong number in its own right.
But the peak of 930,000 was just as impressive, with that number a 15.1% split of the audience share on Saturday afternoon, with those numbers expected to remain strong next weekend for the second Test at Everton.
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