BBC viewing figures for controversial Salford Red Devils defeat revealed
The viewing figures for St Helens' record win over Salford have been revealed.
The viewing figures for St Helens’ record victory against Salford Red Devils on the BBC on Saturday evening have been revealed.
The Saints racked up the tries at the Totally Wicked Stadium to win 82-0 – the biggest margin of victory ever seen in a Super League game and the biggest scoreline recorded on the opening weekend of a season.
But the game was engulfed by controversy following Salford’s controversial decision to send their reserve team to face Paul Wellens’ side.
With the game live on BBC2, their actions have been called into question given how it took the shine off what should have been a major occasion for Super League.
And courtesy of Rugby League on TV, the figures for the game have now been published.
St Helens v Salford on BBC 2 on Saturday.
318,000 average
2.7% audience share.
413,000 peak.— RugbyLeagueonTV.com (@rugbyleagueontv) February 17, 2025
The game picked up an average audience of 318,000 throughout the broadcast – it is unclear at what times the peak was recorded. But we do know that peak reached 413,000, with an audience share of 2.7% for that time-slot.
Those figures are significantly higher than what Super League can attract on Sky Sports, underlining the power of terrestrial television for the competition.
But fears remain that the audience figures have been severely hit by Salford’s decision to send their reserves, with many opting not to tune in and watch what could easily have been a compelling game between two sides chasing the play-offs in 2025.
Instead, the Saints raced into an early lead and continued to rack up the points as the evening wore on.
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