TOKYO – More than half of Japan tuned in to watch their team's 28-21 Rugby World Cup win over Scotland on Sunday that earned the Brave Blossoms a place in the knockout stage for the first time, figures released by a ratings tracker showed.
Peak audience share clocked in at 53.7% of households in the Kanto greater Tokyo area and 52.2% in the Kansai western Japan region for the broadcast on Nippon Television, Video Research told Reuters on Tuesday.
The average over the course of the match was 39.2% in Kanto and 37.2% in Kansai.
The peak was reached at 9:41 p.m., a Video Research spokeswoman said, at the end of the match as Japan's win sealed top spot in Pool A and set up a quarter-final clash against South Africa next weekend.
That surpassed the high of 46.1% reached during Japan's match against Samoa, which World Rugby had said was a record audience and local media had called the most-watched sporting event of the year in Japan.