Challenge Cup Final viewing figures revealed as Wigan Warriors triumph over Warrington Wolves

THE Challenge Cup Final on Saturday afternoon saw Wigan Warriors run out 18-8 winners over Warrington Wolves.

That ensured Wigan now hold all four major titles – the League Leaders’ Shield, the Challenge Cup, the Super League Grand Final and the World Club Challenge.

In terms of viewers, almost 65,000 people flocked to Wembley Stadium for the largest crowd at the showpiece venue since 2017.

However, there were impressive viewing figures on television too, with Rugby League On TV revealing that the final had a peak of 877,000 viewers on BBC One and an average of 745,000 which equated to a 12.6 per cent share of the audience.

Rugby League On TV also revealed that the Rugby Union Premiership Final had an average of 535,000 viewers with a peak of 931,000. That equated to 8.8 per cent of the audience share.

It means that, on average, rugby league’s showpiece event trumped that of rugby union – a major boost for the 13-man code over the 15-man game.

When compared to last year’s Challenge Cup Final, which saw Leigh Leopards run out 17-16 winners over Hull KR, the 2023 version had an average of 784,000 viewers, with a peak of 1.1 million. That equated to an audience share of 10.9 per cent.

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