TV viewing figure increase confirmed as second rugby league Ashes Test numbers revealed

The TV viewing figures for the second Test of the Rugby League Ashes between England and Australia have been revealed.

England lost that second Test and with it the Ashes as Australia won 14-4 to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead before Saturday’s third and final Test at Headingley.

It was an improved performance from England with their first half showing looking particularly promising, however, they faltered in the second half for the second week in a row as the Kangaroos scored two quickfire tries through Cameron Munster and Hudson Young.

Also worrying was the fact England’s points came via the kicking tee meaning they’ve only scored one try in 160 minutes of rugby, a cheap barge over from Daryl Clark in the late stages at Wembley.

Shaun Wane’s side will hope to score more at Headingley which will be another sell-out meaning the only way to watch the game will be on TV, as was the case with the second Test and that could explain a rise in viewing figures.

Rugby League Ashes viewing figures rise for second Test

Per Rugby League on TV, the Test at the Hill Dickinson Stadium had an average audience of 837,000, which was up by 19,000 on the Wembley Test.

The peak audience of 972,000 was also an increase of 42,000 from the week prior with the game aired on BBC One as coverage started at 2:00 pm.

Coverage of the third and final Test at Headingley will again be aired on BBC One from the same time and the viewing figures will be intriguing given the fact the series is already over, however, with a smaller stadium capacity, more fans may be forced to watch on TV.

When you account for the 50,000+ in attendance at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, it means over 1,000,000 people watched the second Test which is a very strong figure.

The 2025 Super League Grand Final was viewed by a total of 816,000 people making Saturday’s game even more watched than the domestic showpiece event.

2nd Test pretty much held it’s audience.

837,000 average
13.8% audience share.
972,000 peak. https://t.co/tZPLKH5aq3

— RugbyLeagueonTV.com (@rugbyleagueontv) November 3, 2025