In 2025, the Rugby Africa Cup had the biggest TV audience ever. Not from regular TV markets. From streaming platforms to social media clips and fans following games on their phones in countries that didn't have rugby broadcasts five years ago.
The sport is growing. It's growing in places nobody predicted.
Rugby's traditional fanbase — England, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and France — is loyal and large. But it does have a limit. The sport has grown significantly in Africa, Southeast Asia, and some parts of Latin America over the last three years. Before, rugby was barely visible in these places.
Technology is the reason. In the past, if you wanted to watch a sport on TV, you had to watch it on cable TV. If you wanted to watch a live sports event, you had to go to the stadium. So, if you wanted to watch a sport, you could only watch it in the markets where you could watch those things. Streaming changed everything. A fan in Kampala can now watch a live Premiership Rugby match on a phone with mobile data. That same fan can follow player stats, argue in team forums, and place a bet — all in one go, on one device.
In 2024, the sports market in Africa was worth $12 billion, according to Oliver Wyman, and is expected to exceed $20 billion by 2035. In 2024, the average amount of money spent on sports sponsorship in Africa was $1.3 billion. Growth is set to be rapid, with double-digit increases expected through to 2030. Rugby is part of that growth.
This is something that people don't talk about much: online betting platforms are a great way to discover new rugby games.
When a platform shows odds on a rugby match alongside those for football and basketball, it means that match is seen by users who weren't looking for rugby. A fan who opened the app to check Premier League odds saw the Springboks vs England match at decent odds and clicked out of curiosity. They watch. They understand the basics. They will be back for the next match.
The same thing happens with fast-play games. A player who comes to play Aviator might see rugby odds on the sidebar and get interested in a sport they've never watched before. The platform is where people start using the sport, not just the gambling part.
Live streaming has done something that regular TV never managed: it has made rugby a sport you can take with you wherever you go.
Rugby isn't as exciting as football. Goals are important. It's a 20-minute sequence of sustained phases, rolling mauls, and counter-rucking. It's harder to cut this into a 90-second clip and have it make sense. Rugby is best watched in its entirety. Streaming is a great way to watch rugby because you can watch it whenever you want, on any device.
World Rugby said that more people watched rugby on digital platforms in 2024. The number of people watching the Six Nations Championship online has been getting bigger every year since 2021. These aren't small changes — they're new audiences finding a sport they'd have missed entirely in a world where sport was only shown on TV.
Finding something new is one thing. Retention is another.
Fantasy rugby leagues, apps with real-time stats, social communities, and in-play betting all give new fans reasons to stay interested between matches. A fan who has a player in their fantasy lineup or an active bet on the result watches differently — with more attention, more emotional investment, and more likely to return.
Technology makes it easy to watch, then watch again, and then bet or participate. Each element strengthens the connection to the sport. Platforms that combine entertainment options — from playing games to live sports betting — make this easy by holding a fan's attention across different formats.
Streaming platforms made rugby accessible where cable TV didn't reach. Fans in Africa and Southeast Asia can now watch live matches on their phones using mobile data. This means that more people than ever will be interested in the sport.
By offering rugby odds alongside those of other sports, platforms get new users interested in the sport. A fan browsing for other content might come across rugby odds and watch a match for the first time. Betting platforms help people discover new sports.
Fantasy leagues, real-time stats, in-play betting, and social communities are all great ways to keep fans interested between matches. This makes them more connected to the sport and more likely to watch regularly.