Research commissioned by BBC Sport and carried out by YouGov reveals that 24 million people in the UK now consider themselves to be a women’s sport fans – up from 18 million in 2021, a 33 per cent increase over the last five years.

Overall, women’s rugby union has seen a major uplift in support following the women’s Rugby World Cup, with fan numbers climbing from 7.94 million for pre-claimed fandom amongst those interested in women’s rugby, to 13.21 million post-claimed fandom after the World Cup in summer 2025, a 66 per cent increase.

BBC Sport says this research demonstrates the growing appetite for the women’s game as it prepares to bring audiences free to air coverage of this year’s Women’s Six Nations across TV, radio and online from April 11th.

BBC TV and BBC iPlayer will show every game from the tournament, supported by punditry and storytelling from some of the biggest voices in the game. Additionally, yhe BBC Sport website and app will deliver live text coverage for every game, complete with clips, pundit reaction and analysis. Over on BBC Sport’s social media channels, there will be clips of standout moments from the matches and exclusive interviews with some of the competition’s star players.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, commented: “Seeing a 66 per cent increase amongst those now calling themselves fans of women’s rugby is extraordinary and shows just how quickly the women’s game is capturing the public imagination. Last year’s summer of women’s sport on the BBC proved what’s possible when the biggest moments are given the platform they deserve, with record audiences tuning in to watch history unfold. However, the most important thing is to support women’s sport all year round. The Women’s Six Nations is one of the great tournaments in the sporting calendar and we’re proud to bring every match free-to-air so audiences can follow every try, tackle and triumph across our digital platforms, social channels, TV and radio”.

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Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Content, Research

Tags: BBC, rugby, Sport, womens, YouGov