Research: Premiership Rugby attracting more young fans
January 27, 2025

Premiership Rugby has seen a significant rise in young fans with almost a million new supporters aged 18 to 34 versus 12 months ago.
According to YouGov Profiles, 14.3 million people in the UK hold an interest in Gallagher Premiership Rugby – this represents an increase of 13 per cent since 2023 – and is the highest level of interest for the past five years.
Whilst increased levels of interest are seen in all age bands, the change is being driven by a rapidly accelerating level of interest from younger fans who now make up the second biggest audience cohort.
Research shows that 980,000 fans in the 18-34 range are engaging with Gallagher Premiership Rugby and are fuelling the growth, with this age group growing +43 per cent since 2021. These numbers are helping drive demand with less than 16,000 general sales tickets left for the 2025 Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final.
Simon Massie-Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Premiership Rugby said: “Our central marketing efforts have been focussed on building awareness and improving access to the Gallagher Premiership, with a specific focus on accessing a younger more diverse audience. So it’s great to see these encouraging results alongside the significant growth in match attendance and TV audiences, with every game now live across TNT Sports. Occupancy at Premiership grounds is 81 per cent this season compared to 76 per cent this time last year and The Final is on track to break records again, with twice as many tickets sold versus this time last year. The quality of the rugby is at the heart of the growth. We are seeing an exciting new generation of players playing in an unpredictable league where every game matters.”
This season the cumulative audience on TNT Sports has increased by 44 per cent with the Festive Fixtures attracting a combined viewership of 2.6 million.
Premiership Rugby’s TikTok channel engagement is also growingm and forms a key part of a more entertainment-focused content strategy, whilst YouTube has also grown 15 per cent year on year and the league has a targeted strategy to align with the Shape of the Season.
Premiership Rugby Chief Growth Officer, Rob Calder, added: “Existing audiences are well served with the extensive TNT Sports and ITV coverage. With clearly defined peaks such as Derby Weekend, Festive Fixtures, The Run-In, Play-Offs and the Final – this unpredictable league is also cutting through to showcase the action to a younger, more diverse audience. We also have a Joint Marketing Agreement with the RFU that has helped us reach an additional 6m rugby fans already – as well as support from The British & Irish Lions. Our Premiership Rugby Unleashed highlights show are fronted by popular TikTok and Instagram content creators. And we are also seeing the benefits of a focused investment in our own social channels, with tailored content for younger audiences.”