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Exclusive: Channel 4 reveals staggering viewing figures in battle against Sky Sports for Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils’ Super League clash

Channel 4 has been at the forefront of the changing dynamic within rugby league in 2022.

Sky Sports has long held precedence in rugby league for television coverage, but there has been a new kid on the block in the shape of Channel 4 this season.

The agreement before the season started was that ten games would be broadcast live on Channel 4, but the support for its coverage has been such that people are desperate to see more in 2023.

Last weekend’s clash between the Huddersfield Giants and the Salford Red Devils was the biggest challenge that Channel 4 has faced up until now – they had to contend with the might of Sky Sports which was broadcasting at the same time.

However, the terrestrial program more than held its own, with Serious About Rugby League now being able to reveal that the average viewing figures hit 189,000 which equated to 2.8% of the overall television share at the time.

And, in even greater news, the one minute peak was a staggering 336,000! The lure of the likes of Helen Skelton, Kyle Amor, Danika Priim and Liam Farrell as pundits and Mark Wilson in the commentary box has proved incredibly great so far in 2022.

Those figures from the semi-final figure at the weekend proves just how popular Channel 4 is with the viewing public and it’s a superb feat considering that this is the terrestrial provider’s first season in rugby league.

From round one when Leeds Rhinos hosted the Warrington Wolves at Headingley, the numbers produced that day suggested that the new format would work with over three quarters of a million tuning in for that game.

Since then, each game has boasted over 189,000 viewers with one more game remaining for this weekend as St Helens host the Salford Red Devils.

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